The longest word published in most dictionaries has 45 letters. True or False?
True. It's pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis - a type of lung disease.
How many words do you need to know to become a proficient English speaker?
About 4000 words.
Shakespeare added over 1500 new words and expressions to English. True or False?
True
What is the letter that begins the most words in English?
The letter 's'. There are about 74,992 words in the English Language that start with 's'.
How many people speak English as a first or second language?
Over 840 million. It is the second most spoken language globally, after Mandarin Chinese.
When was the first English dictionary written?
1755
What are some words in English where only the first letter is pronounced?
‘Queue’, ‘Tea’ and ‘Pea’
What is the shortest, oldest, and most commonly used word in English?
I. Medieval manuscripts reveal that some of the oldest words in English are “I,” “we,” “two,” and “three.”
What is the percentage of words in English that come from other languages?
30%. The majority of its vocabulary comes from French, Latin, and German.
The English alphabet had 29 letters in the past. True or False?
True. Some letters like 'ash' (æ) and 'ethel' œ eventually disappeared.
When is English language day celebrated?
On the 23rd of April. It was chosen because it is Shakespeare's birthday and death day.
Which word in the English language has the most meanings?
The word 'run'. According to one lexicographer, it has 645 distinct definitions.
More people in the world have learned English as a second language than there are native English speakers. True or False?
True
How many words are added to the English dictionary every year?
More than 800.
What is the only letter in English that is never silent?
The letter 'v'.
What is the least commonly used letter in English?
The letter 'q'.
There are only 2 modern English words that end in -gry. What are they?
Angry and hungry
Which is the second largest English-speaking country in the world?
India
The official language of the USA is English. True or False.
False
What is the most commonly used letter in English?
The letter 'e'. It appears in approximately 11% of all words in the English language.
What is the most common adjective in English?
Good
How many countries has English as their official language?
67