Interesting Facts about English

The English language, a linguistic powerhouse with a rich and intricate history, acts as a global bridge, uniting individuals from diverse cultures and continents. Approximately two billion people, or 1 in 4, utilise it as either their first or second language.

Having its roots in the Germanic languages, English underwent notable transformations through the influence of Latin, French, and other languages. Its flexibility and incorporation of words from various sources contribute to its dynamic nature.

The amalgamation of diverse linguistic elements renders it a captivating and continually evolving means of expression. I’ve gathered 25 interesting facts about this widely embraced global language. Here they are –

1. The first English dictionary was written in 1755.

2. It is estimated that a total of 1,022,000 words are in English, but only about 170,000 words are in current use. 

3. About 4,000 words are added to the dictionary each year. 

4. William Shakespeare invented almost 1700 words such as birthplace, blushing, undress and torture.

5. The oldest word in the English language is ‘town’.

6. The most commonly used word in English conversation is ‘I’

7. About 11% of the entire English language is just the letter E.

8. The least used letter in the alphabet is Q.

9. The dot on top of the letter ‘i’ is called a tittle.

10. The number 4 is the only number that has the same number of letters in it – FOUR

11. ‘Underground’ is the only word that begins and ends with the letters ‘und’.

12. The word ‘Uncopyrightable’ is the is the only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating any letter.

13. No words in the English language rhyme with “month”, “orange”, “silver” or “purple”.

14. “Hungry” and “Angry” are the only words in the English language that end in “-gry.

15. “Bookkeeper” & “Bookkeeping” are the only words in English language with three consecutive double letters.

16. There are only 4 words in the English language which end in ‘dous’ (they are: hazardous, horrendous, stupendous and tremendous)

17. The word ‘Strengths’ is the longest word in the English language with just one vowel.

18. The word ‘Typewriter’ is the longest word that can be typed using only the top row of a keyboard.

19. Only 3 sets of letters on a keyboard which are in alphabetical order – ‘F G H’, ‘J K L’, ‘O P’ 

20. The word ‘Twyndyllyngs’ is the longest word without a vowel.

21. “Dreamt” is the only word that ends in mt.

22. The word “queue” is the only word in the English Language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

23. ‘Tattarrattat’ is the longest palindromic word in English.

24. The word “set” has the most definitions.

25. The English language is said to be one of the happiest languages in the world, as the word “happy” is used 3 times more often than the word “sad”.

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–Kaushal Kishore 

image: pinterest