10 English Language Facts You Probably Don’t Know

The English language is spoken as a first language by several sovereign states, including the UK, Australia, United States of America, Ireland, Canada and many more. But what do we actually know about the this popular tongue? It’s time to find out…

1. The Letter B

15

When you write out the word of every number (one, two, three, four…), you don’t write the letter B until you reach one billion.

2. 1 Billion People

14

Speaking of one billion, that’s how many people on Earth speak English. That’s 1 in every 7 people on the planet!

3. The Language of the Skies

16

All pilots, regardless of their country of origin or first language, have to identify themselves in English on international flights. It is therefore the official language of the skies.

4. The Longest Word Without Vowels

1

Can you think of what might be the longest common English word without vowels? Well, you’d be right if you thought it was “rhythms”! It’s not that long, really, is it?

5. Here Come the Bride

17

The word “bride” is an old proto-Germanic word. However, it’s not as flattering as some people may believe, as it actually means “to cook”. So the next time you see a blushing bride, you’ll now know it’s because she’s spent so long in a hot kitchen!

6. Death Contract

19

Have you signed on the dotted line for a death contract? If you have a mortgage you have, as the word “mortgage” is derived from the French word that means “death contract”.

7. The Classroom

18

Here is a thinker for you: the word “schoolmaster” is an anagram of “the classroom”. Bet you didn’t know that!

8. New Words

20

On average, one new word is created in the English language every two hours – so the dictionary grows by approximately 4,000 words per year!

9. English Origins

1

The English language is a combination of Old High German, Anglo-Norman and Old Norse. The modern English language we recognise started in the 14th Century.

10. The Oldest Word

21

The oldest word in the English language is “I”, closely followed by “we”, “two” and “three”, which are thousands of years old.

Looking for more interesting facts from The List Love? Check out 10 Crazy Planet Earth Facts.

The List Love

The List Love is the hub of high quality high quality facts that educate and entertain. We provide all the fun and facts you need to broaden your mind and smile! Our goal is to help you laugh and learn with our entertaining top 10 lists, and won’t rehash the same old things commonly found online.

You may also like...

1 Response

  1. July 22, 2014

    […] Would you like to read more English language facts? Read 10 English Language Facts You Probably Don’t Know. […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.