Languages in numbers
The English language
Which language...?
Fun facts about languages
100

What is the most spoken language in the world by native speakers? 

Mandarin Chinese 

100
Which famous writer added over 1,000 words and phrases to the English language?

William Shakespeare

100

Which language is the official language of the USA?

No official language 

100

Where does the word "alphabet" come from? 

The first letters of the Greek alphabet - "alpha" and "beta" 

200

Which language was the official language in England for over 300 years?

French 

200

Which letter in the English language starts the most words?

Letter 'S' (followed by 'P', 'C', and 'A')

200

What was the first language spoken in outer space?

Russian

200

What is the official language of the sky (or aviation)?

English

300

How many countries recognize English as their official language?

67

300

What is the most common letter used in English?

Letter 'E'

300

What is the name of the 19th-century language which was supposed to become a universal second language? 

Esperanto

300

Which fictional language is spoken in the 'Star Trek' universe?

Klingon

400

Which country has the highest number of official languages?

South Africa (11)

400

What does the word "goodbye" literally mean? 

"God be with you"

400

Which language do 30% of words in English come from? 

French

400

Which famous story in the Bible explains why there are different languages in the world? 

The Tower of Babel

500

How many languages are spoken in the world? (+/- 1,000)

around 6,500

500

The longest word in English is 'pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis'. What is it?

a type of lung disease 

500

Which two neighbouring countries with similar names have basically completely different languages?

North and South Korea 

500

Which children's book - after the Bible - is available in the most languages?

'Pinocchio'