Ever wondered why “through” and “though” are pronounced differently, or why English seems to follow the rule “i before e except after c…except when it doesn’t”? With confusing spelling patterns, contradictory grammar rules, and words borrowed from dozens of languages, mastering English can feel more challenging than pronouncing “Worcestershire” correctly on your first try! Our English language trivia collection untangles these linguistic knots with questions covering everything from the fascinating origins of common phrases to words that break all the rules. Perfect for word nerds, aspiring writers, or anyone who’s ever been confused about when to use “who” versus “whom.”
Also, check out these Poetry Trivia Questions.
English Language Trivia Questions and Answers
- How many letters are in the English alphabet?
Answer: 26 - What are the vowels in the English alphabet?
Answer: A, E, I, O, U (and sometimes Y) - What do we call words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings?
Answer: Homophones - What is the most commonly used letter in the English language?
Answer: E - What type of word describes an action or state of being?
Answer: Verb - What type of word names a person, place, thing, or idea?
Answer: Noun - What do we call a word that means the opposite of another word?
Answer: Antonym - What do we call a word that means almost the same as another word?
Answer: Synonym - What is the longest word in English without a vowel?
Answer: Rhythms - What is the term for a word created by joining the beginning of one word with the end of another?
Answer: Portmanteau - What do we call a sentence that asks a question?
Answer: Interrogative sentence - What is a group of words that makes complete sense called?
Answer: Sentence - What is the name of the punctuation mark that looks like a dot?
Answer: Period - What was the first English dictionary?
Answer: “A Table Alphabeticall” by Robert Cawdrey - What language did English evolve from?
Answer: Old English (Anglo-Saxon) - What do we call words that describe nouns?
Answer: Adjectives - What do we call the main verb in a sentence?
Answer: Predicate - What is the name for a saying that seems contradictory but might contain truth?
Answer: Paradox - What is the longest word in the English language?
Answer: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis - What does the term “etymology” refer to?
Answer: The origin and history of words - What important English document from 1215 influenced the development of English law and language?
Answer: Magna Carta - Which author is credited with adding the most words to the English language?
Answer: William Shakespeare - About how many words does the Oxford English Dictionary contain?
Answer: Over 600,000 - What is the only word in English that ends with the letters “mt”?
Answer: Dreamt - What is the term for a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward?
Answer: Palindrome - What country uses British English spelling but was not a British colony?
Answer: None (all countries that use British English spelling were either British colonies or territories) - What is the only common English word that has five vowels in a row?
Answer: Queueing - Who wrote the first comprehensive English dictionary in 1755?
Answer: Samuel Johnson - What is unusual about the word “oranges”?
Answer: No other English word rhymes with it - What do we call the first language a person learns from birth?
Answer: Native language (or mother tongue) - What is the name for a word formed by rearranging the letters of another word?
Answer: Anagram - What is the only common English word that has three consecutive repeated letters?
Answer: Bookkeeper (oo-kk-ee) - What is the only word in English that has all five vowels in order?
Answer: Abstemious