107 Interesting English Facts For Lively Linguists And Learners
Gallery
English language facts are enjoyed by all learners interested in learning more English words than what is present in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
The language of English is said to be the universal language, holding importance on many international levels. The word 'English' is actually derived from an old Germanic language (angels were part of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain in the fifth century AD).
The language is also named after Anglia (a peninsula situated in the Baltic Sea). Over time, the English language has been influenced by older languages like Latin, Norman French, and Old Norse.
Today, English holds perpetual importance on a global level. English is the second language of almost all countries in the world. This language also holds a significant influence in dealing with commerce and trade, so sometimes the language is also called the universal language.
English is the official language of Great Britain. The English language is also among the 10 most widely spoken languages in the world. Apart from being the global language for communications internationally, it has also become the language of computers in science and technology.
English is one of the most dynamic languages of the modern era. Every year, different dictionaries add new words to their repertoire based on trending topics and subjects. This is extremely interesting as it means that linguists must always keep on working to improve the English language and its utility.
According to the Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, English is defined as an 'international language'. Read on for some funny English facts as well as interesting trivia English facts that will captivate your mind.
After you have read these amazing English facts, also check out interesting facts about the English vocabulary and interesting facts about English grammar.
Interesting Facts About The English Vocabulary
It is generally regarded that reading English novels and fiction, more than non-fiction, can help an individual, mainly a non-native speaker, to enhance and expand his or her English vocabulary.
Are you looking for some interesting facts about English and its vocabulary? Well, no need to pick up your personal Oxford English Dictionary right now. We have compiled some of the most interesting facts about English and its vocabulary which will surely interest you.
Compared to every other language in the world, the English language has the largest vocabulary of 800,000 words!
As maintained by the Oxford Dictionary, the lengthiest word in the English language is 'pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis'.
The word ‘abracadabra’ actually has an adjective form, that is, ‘abracadabrant’.
The word 'set' contains more definitions than any other word in the whole English language.
Use of the word 'selfie' saw an increase of up to 17,000 percent after it was made the word of the year in 2013 by the Oxford Dictionary.
The letter 'e' makes up 11 percent of the whole English language.
The old English name for a honeymoon is 'flitterwochen' meaning fleeting weeks.
A shape possessing 672s side is called a hex octacontakaidigon.
The English language contains approximately 100,000 word families.
An average native English speaker knows about 10,000 to 20,000 word families.
A non-native English speaker has to know just 8,000 word families to enjoy reading a good book.
The only English word ending in the letter 'mt' is dreamt.
According to a study, an average American journalist uses 6,000 words in his newspaper articles.
Did you know? The amalgamation of the word 'ough' can be pronounced in nine different ways.
The word 'therein' has 10 words concealed in it. They are the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, and herein.
Did you know? The word 'eyeball' was invented by Shakespeare.
He also invented other words like 'skim milk', 'hobnob', and 'luggage'.
The word 'bankrupt' is taken from the French term for a broken bench.
'Jentacular' is the word for all things related to breakfast like pancakes, coffee, orange juice, cereal, and so on.
Did you know? The name Rebecca can also be used for a verb meaning to demolish a gate.
Interesting Facts About English Grammar
English grammar is based on various standardized principles and rules of the English language. It takes about 10,000 English words in order to be proficient in the language. Here are some of the most interesting facts about the English language which you will certainly enjoy.
The shortest complete sentence in the English language is 'I am'.
The words 'hazardous', 'horrendous', 'stupendous', and 'tremendous' are the only four English words that have a common ending of 'dous'.
The longest English word without having any vowel is the word 'rhythm'.
Some English words that only end in the plural form are 'pants', 'scissors', and 'tongs'.
Every two hours, a new word is added to the English dictionary.
The longest word having just one vowel is the word 'strength'.
An example of a palindrome is the word 'mom' (the word is the same if you read it backwards).
The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle.
The @ symbol in the English language usually means 'at'.
The word 'uncopyrightable' is one of the longest words without repeating a letter.
The common English word having the most vowels is 'queueing'.
Words which have a pattern of being repeated often, like 'actually', 'honestly', and 'basically' are called crutch words.
The only word containing double 'i' is the word skiing.
Modern English Facts
Modern English is actually an amalgamation of various Latin and Norman French languages, which has been added to and developed over time. Today, the English language is used all over the world. It is deemed to be one of the most used international languages.
English is one of the oldest languages that is spoken in almost all countries of the world. Did you know that the modern English that we use nowadays is quite different from old English? Now we bring to you some fascinating modern English facts to help you understand the evolution of the global language.
The first-ever English dictionary was written in the year 1755.
The word 'goodbye' derives itself from the old English phrase 'God be with you'.
Some of the other words invented by Shakespeare are 'birthplace', 'blushing', 'undress' and 'torture'.
The United States of America has about 24 different dialects of English.
Most English words find their origin in French or old English.
English is the official language of airplane travel.
67 countries in the world have adopted the English language as their official language.
'Time' is the most extensively used noun.
The original name for 'butterfly' was actually 'flutterfly'. How funky is that?
The word 'lol' was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in the year 2011.
English is the third most spoken language after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.
The most frequently used adjective is 'good'.
Frisian is a language currently spoken in small regions of Germany and the Netherlands and is termed as the closest living language to English.
The English language actually used to have 29 letters instead of the present 26.
The United States of America doesn’t have an official language.
'Town' is the oldest English word that is still being used extensively.
'Great Britain', etymologically, means 'the great land of the tattooed'.
As previously stated, computers store more than 80 percent of information in the English language.
The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years.
As stated above, the longest word in the English language possesses 45 letters.
Until about 250 years ago, the color orange had no word.
It is predicted that by 2050, half the world will be proficient in the English language.
Did you know that William Shakespeare invented over 17,000 words? Indeed, the guy’s influence in the English language is abundant!
The British had a major impact on the English language.
The Oxford English Corpus overall contains more than 2.5 billion words.
The term 'after tomorrow' is called 'over morrow'.
Most English words start with the letter 's' more than any other letter.
The word 'irony' is the most commonly misused word in the English language.
Did you know? China has more English speakers than the United States of America does.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 107 interesting facts about English that you should know then why not take a look at cross link 1, or cross link 2.
We Want Your Photos!
More for You
See All
Bachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy
Joan AgieBachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy
With 3+ years of research and content writing experience across several niches, especially on education, technology, and business topics. Joan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Anatomy from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, and has worked as a researcher and writer for organizations across Nigeria, the US, the UK, and Germany. Joan enjoys meditation, watching movies, and learning new languages in her free time.
Disclaimer
1) Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the Buy Now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published but we cannot guarantee that on the time of reading. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
2) At Kidadl, we strive to recommend the very best activities and events. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
3) Because we are an educational resource, we have quotes and facts about a range of historical and modern figures. We do not endorse the actions of or rhetoric of all the people included in these collections, but we think they are important for growing minds to learn about under the guidance of parents or guardians.