Facts about the English language

This lesson has 2 versions. 1) A video version and 2) A written version.

I advise you to watch / listen to the video to hear the correct pronunciation of the important English words. The written version is below the video.

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Fact 1

The longest word in English has 45 letters:
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

It is a type of lung disease.

Fact 2

“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

This sentence uses every letter of the alphabet. This type of sentence is called a “pangram”. We often use this sentence to practise handwriting or to test a new pen or keyboard.

Fact 3

“I am.”
This is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. (The verb “to be” is a linking verb. It does not take a direct object.)

Example of correct use with context:
Jane: “Who is hungry?”
Mark: “I am.”

Fact 4

The letter “e” is the most commonly used letter in English. It represents approximately 11% of the language!

Fact 5

The letter “r” is the most commonly used consonant.
The second most commonly used consonant is the letter “t”.

Fact 6

More English words begin with the letter “s” than any other letter of the alphabet.

Fact 7

rhythm /ˈrɪð.əm/
“rhythm” is the longest English word without a real vowel (a, e, i, o or u).

It means: a strong pattern of sounds used in music.

Example:

He plays the drums with good rhythm.

Fact 8

queueing
This is the only English word with 5 consecutive vowels.

“to queue” means to wait in line.

Example:

They are queueing to go into the museum.

There is an alternative spelling with only 4 consecutive vowels:
queuing

Fact 9

There are 7 different ways to pronounce the letters “ough”:

rough /rʌf/
dough /dəʊ/
thought /θɔːt/
plough /plaʊ/
through /θruː/
borough /ˈbʌr.ə/
cough /kɒf/

(I advise you to watch and listen to the video at the top of this article to listen to the pronunciation.)

This is a common cause of confusion for English learners.

Fact 10

Can you think of an English word ending in -mt ?

There is only 1 word:

dreamt /dremt/
(past simple form of dream)

Example:
Last night, Jane dreamt about a new house.

What interesting facts are there in your language?

Tell me in the comments below.