English will become more fun! A collection of trivia and fun facts about the English language.
In today’s global community, English has become indispensable, hasn’t it?
It’s now included as a subject in elementary schools, and many people begin studying English in earnest as adults.
In this article, we’ll introduce various trivia and fun facts about English.
Studying English can be tough, but learning about it from a slightly different angle—through trivia and fun facts—can make your studies even more enjoyable!
Feel free to use this as a little breather during your English study sessions!
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English is even more fun! A collection of trivia and fun facts about English (1–10)
A new English word is being added every two hours.
People say language is a living thing, but did you know that English vocabulary is actually growing at a rate of two words per day? It may be natural that new words appear whenever new products and phenomena emerge—just like how many terms were coined during COVID.
On the other hand, there may also be an increasing number of words that are falling out of use.
Even so, you could say there are fewer words that capture subtle nuances the way Japanese does, and some new words are simply predictable derivatives of existing ones.
If you keep up with new vocabulary, people might see you as someone who’s on the ball.
English is not an official language in the United States.
People tend to assume that English is the official language of the United States, but that’s not correct.
Strictly speaking, there is no designated official language.
The reason is unclear, though it may be related to the large number of immigrants living in the country.
That said, some states do designate English as their official language.
By the way, in Hawaii, both English and Hawaiian are official languages.
It might be fun to look up the official languages of states you’re curious about—you might find some surprising facts.
The English alphabet originally had 29 letters.
Do you know how many letters there are in the alphabet? If you count from A to Z, you’ll find there are 26.
That’s common knowledge today, but it used to be different.
In fact, it’s said that in addition to those 26, there were 3 more—or even 5 to 12 additional—letters.
Some of them were letters formed by combining two characters, like “&” or “ſt,” but because their usage was complex and difficult, their number was reduced to what we have today.
Examples of the lost letters in use have also been published, so feel free to take a look if you’re interested.
William Shakespeare invented many English words.
Shakespeare, the playwright who left behind many masterpieces, also invented many English words.
Lines from the plays he wrote were accepted as new words.
To people of his time, those words must have seemed fresh and stylish.
It’s fascinating that even the now-common expression “catch a cold” was born from one of his plays.
With a sensibility that could be called that of a designer of language, he created and popularized many terms.
The most commonly used adjective is “good.”
One of the most commonly used adjectives is “good.” Because this word carries a variety of meanings and nuances, it appears in many contexts.
If you learn it, you can use it broadly, so be sure to check out its different meanings.
Other frequently used adjectives include “other,” “new,” “many,” and “best.” You probably see words like “new” and “best” often on signs and in advertisements.
When you read or listen to English sentences or conversations, try paying attention to how often these adjectives are used.