fun facts

15 Fun Word Facts

The shortest, oldest, and most commonly used word is “I.”

1. One single piece of confetti is called a “confetto.”

2. “Schoolmaster” is an anagram of “the classroom.”

our other favorites
Listen = Silent.
Astronomer = Moon starer.
The eyes = They see.
A gentleman = Elegant man.
Funeral = Real fun.

3. There’s a word to refer to the day before yesterday.

When it’s Thursday and you’re trying to remind someone of something that happened on Tuesday, you usually go with the clunky phrase “the day before yesterday.” But guess what? There’s a one-word way of saying that: “nudiustertian.” Of course, given the time it will take you to explain to your friends what the word means, it might be easier just to say “the day before yesterday.”

4. “Quarantine” literally means “40 days.”

As the Online Etymology Dictionary notes, the word “quarantine” comes from the Italian words quarantina giorni, which literally translate to “space of 40 days.” Why? In the 14th century, that’s how long ships were kept in isolation – or quarantined – when they could potentially be harboring sick passengers.

5. The English word with the most meanings is “set.”

According to Guinness World Records, this verb – and sometimes noun – has the most meanings of any English word, with 430 listed in the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. It also has the longest dictionary entry at 60,000 words!

6. The word “dumbbell” has nothing to do with intelligence but with silence.

It’s a question most people have at some point while working out: Why are dumbbells called “dumbbells”? Well, as Hodgson explains on the Oxford University Press blog, the word “dumbbell” comes from the fact that the exercise equipment was originally made by attaching silent metal bells to rope. Back in the day, the word dumb meant “unable to talk.”

7. “Goodbye” has surprisingly religious origins.

“Goodbye” is derived from the phrase “God be with ye.”
The Online Etymology Dictionary explains that this common farewell comes from the 16th century English term “godbwye,” which is shorthand for “God be with ye.”

8. “Tl;dr” is an official word in the dictionary.

Merriam-Webster added this acronym for “too long; didn’t read” to its dictionary in 2018. LOL was added in 2011, along with “FYI” and “OMG.”

9. The end tip of a shoelace has a name.

It’s called an “aglet,” and comes from the French word for “needle” (aguillette).

10. “I Am” is the shortest possible complete sentence in the english language.

11. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is not the longest word in English!

This extra long word (that approximately means “fantastic”) was popularized by the movie Mary Poppins and was eventually added to the dictionary. What you probably didn’t know is that there is a word that is longer—yes longer—than this one. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is a type of lung disease caused by inhaling ash and dust. Go ahead and try pronouncing that!

12. The shortest, oldest, and most commonly used word is “I.”

Humans love to talk about themselves!

13. A new word is added to the dictionary every two hours.

Between now and your next meal, a new word will be put into the dictionary. During the course of the year, almost 4,000 new words are added!

14. Swims will be swims even when turned upside down.

15. All flying is done in english!

This means that all pilots have to identify themselves and speak in English while flying, regardless of their origin.
Cool!

4 comments

  1. nguyen phuoc suu says:

    The game helps me learn English a lot

    1. Wordshake says:

      That’s great to hear! 🙂

  2. Patt491 says:

    Love this!

    1. Wordshake says:

      Thank you ☺️

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