English might be one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, but it’s also one of the weirdest! From wacky spelling rules to strange expressions, here are some fun (and funny!) facts about the English language that will make you smile:
Silent Letters Everywhere: Why is there a ‘b’ in “subtle” or a ‘k’ in “knight”? Nobody knows! Silent letters are all over English, just waiting to confuse us for no reason at all.
Longest Word Without a True Vowel: Did you know that the longest word in English without a traditional vowel is rhythm? Who needs ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘I’, ‘O’, or ‘U’ anyway? Apparently, not us.
The Plural Puzzle: English loves to play tricks with plurals. One goose, two geese… but one moose, two moose? Why? Because English just enjoys being quirky.
No Rhymes for These: The words “orange,” “silver,” “purple,” and “month” have no perfect rhymes in English. Try as you might, nothing will quite fit the bill!
Contronyms Galore: English has plenty of words that are their own opposites, like "dust" (which means to add or remove dust!) or "left" (which could mean either departed or remaining). Confusing, right?
Business English Oddities: In the business world, why do we "send by car" but "ship by truck"? And while we’re at it, why do we “park in a driveway” and “drive on a parkway”?
At YOKO, we love languages in all their strange, fascinating, and fun forms. Whether you’re navigating English’s oddities or mastering another language, we’ve got you covered for all your translation needs.
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