English language facts

Published
1

• No word in the English language rhymes with month.

• ‘Dreamt’ is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

• The word ‘set’ has more definitions than any other word in the English language.

• ‘Underground’ is the only word in the English language that begins and ends with the letters "und."

• The longest one-syllable word in the English language is ‘screeched’.

• There are only four words in the English language which end in’-dous’: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

• There is a seven letter word in the English language that contains ten words without rearranging any of its letters, ‘therein’: the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, here, ere, therein, herein.

• No words in the English language rhyme with orange, silver or purple.

• ‘Stewardesses’ is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.

• The combination ‘ough’ can be pronounced in nine different ways. The following sentence contains them all: “A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed.”

• The verb ‘cleave’ is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.

• The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is ‘uncopyrightable’. — Compiled by The Surfer

Opinion

Editorial

Narrative confusion
Updated 14 Oct, 2026

Narrative confusion

The centre must say clearly how long it intends it to last, what it hopes to achieve in that time, and how the province’s elected mandate will be restored.
El Niño’s long reach
14 Oct, 2026

El Niño’s long reach

THE extraordinary El Niño gathering strength in the Pacific could make 2026 the hottest year on record, with 2027...
Deeper poverty
14 Oct, 2026

Deeper poverty

PAKISTAN’S poverty crisis is far deeper than official indicators suggest. While the government celebrates economic...
Yemen escalation
Updated 13 Oct, 2026

Yemen escalation

Such an agreement can also help bring peace to Saudi Arabia, while ending Yemen’s humanitarian nightmare.
Inequitable taxation
13 Oct, 2026

Inequitable taxation

FINANCE Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has once more reviewed the latest incentive scheme to bring retailers into the...
Taxila’s hidden past
13 Oct, 2026

Taxila’s hidden past

A HILL dismissed more than a century ago as an unremarkable heap of ruins has yielded one of Taxila’s most...