ADVERTISEMENT

English is the most spoken language in the world with a mind-bending total of 1.348 billion speakers. So no language like it has ever dominated the world. The influence of English can be easily traced in the way its vocabulary has infiltrated so many other languages.

Researchers at the IULM University in Milan have noticed that, in the past 50 years, Italian syntax has shifted towards patterns that mimic English models, and that’s just one example. And thanks to the global influence of social media, younger generations from around the world are all speaking fluent English, mimicking insta-famous natives from across the sea like it's no big deal.

So it’s only fair to expect something from this language, right? For example, that it makes sense, is user-friendly and somewhat intuitive. And it kinda is, or is it? Well, you gotta draw your own conclusions after scrolling through some of the weirdest, most frustrating and pretty incredible English language quirks we collected below. From the cursed English pronunciation to the sentences that have 7 or more different meanings depending on the stressed word, this is a crazy class you wouldn’t like to have an exam in.

#2

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

death-limes Report

Add photo comments
POST
ner_diz avatar
Serial pacifist
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If the plural of goose is geese, should the plural of moose be meese?

wendillon avatar
jyrihakola avatar
Jyri Hakola
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We can agree at least on that that the boom in the bomb is not silent.

wehf100 avatar
Wilf
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No. It shouldn't because 'womb' has origins in old English- hence the 'oo' sound, and 'tomb' comes from the Old French 'tumba'- hence the 'oo' pronunciation. Whereas bomb came from the Greek-Latin 'bombas/bomba'- hence the hard 'o' pronunciation.

mdr_1 avatar
Potato
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's just so much easier to learn a language that doesn't have arbitrary rules based on the historical origins of a word. But the history lesson is very interesting.

Load More Replies...
1998-mende-laura avatar
Laura Mende (Human)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wasn't aware of this. Only through this post i learned that the "b" in the end is silent. Thank you!!! 😁

sexychick4421475 avatar
Claire Armstrong
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Am I the only person who ever despairs of and questions the English language on occasion 🤔 for example like wondering why a window is called a window, who decided to call it that, stuff like that? Or am I just a little bit crazy 🤷🏻

emmabryant2 avatar
Eb
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some sounds change in use. For example, 'boom' when used to emphasise a point or punchline (a la Basil Brush) used to have a short 'oo', but when it was revived on social media younger people pronounced it with a long 'oo'.

spikematthews avatar
Spike Matthews
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If the plural of house is houses, should the plural of mouse be meeses?

spoonhourga avatar
Anne Spoonhour
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But then again, use "comb" as the pronunciation of choice. Worse yet, coxcomb, which does not pronounce "comb" the same way! Sometimes it's not worth the struggle!

9360swilli avatar
Susan Williams
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My British father was a stickler for correct pronunciation. He always pronounced Schedule as if there were no C between the S and the H. Being the smart kid that I was, I asked why he didn't pronounce school Shool instead of Skool. He had no answer. I was about 12 when I realized I had left my father lost for words.

lindastorm2000 avatar
Linda HS
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How bout elk? If one elk is elk, plural should be elks…with “s”. Right?

alexwilliams_2 avatar
Alex Williams
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tomb is not pronounced as toom... same goes for womb lmfao

roswalien_lady avatar
Noona Snest
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well i read it like boom 💥 in my head. Thanks for that btw... but yeah 👍 especially since bombs Go BOOM

abieaillathan avatar
Potter Jackson fan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

why isn't 11 called "onety one"? There's twenty two, thirty three, etc.

tinaharnish avatar
Tina Harnish
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, having a womb can womb ( e.g. having endometriosis), death looms over the dead in their tombs if you know what I mean, and bombs do go boom. Makes weird sense.

lynnmaclean avatar
Lynn Maclean
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If the plural of louse is lice, and the plural of mouse is mice, should the plural of spouse be spice?

maverickatlarge avatar
Hugh Walter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I believe in France it's pronounced Beomme, as is 'room' . . . .

brianbell avatar
Brian bell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I usually add the B sound at the end but still we get boomb.

webb440 avatar
Mel in Real Life
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" is a grammatically correct sentence in English. Surprised this info isn't included in this list! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo

samwallace avatar
Sam Wallace
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here's a challenge: describe a simple rule for when the dipthong TH is pronounced with a hard sound, as in "the", and when it is pronounced with a soft sound, as in "thin".

emmabryant2 avatar
Eb
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not a simple one, but the majority of words using soft TH (eg 'think') are Germanic in origin and the German equivalent starts with a D (sometimes in Latin with a T). The harder, voiced TH is traditionally used before or between vowels that might be lost otherwise, and over time some words that used to have a soft TH changed to voiced TH because of that.

Load More Replies...
francinegovan avatar
Francine Govan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Words of Germanic origin (like goose) are often made plural by changing the vowel sound (goose -->geese). This is not the case in Native American languages, where the word "moose" originates.

guhanpc avatar
View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

English, the universal language of this world, is somewhat of a tough nut to crack for anyone who just got on board. The reason for this is the fact that this language is full of unique quirks and incredible oddities that, although challenging at first, give it character. For example, think of the sentence “I haven’t slept for ten days, because that would be too long” by Mitch Hedberg, who created this paraprosdokian, a phrase that figuratively defeats your expectation. The listener or reader will have to reframe or reinterpret the earlier clause. Coming from the Greek ‘para’ meaning ‘against’ and ‘prosdokia’ meaning ‘expectation,’ a paraprosdokian leaves the reader somewhat baffled by the conclusion of the sentence.

#4

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

showerfeelings Report

Add photo comments
POST
t762778 avatar
Tails
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I will one up you. Every E in Mercedes is pronounced differently.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#5

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

shadowwraiths Report

Add photo comments
POST
just_a_spooky_dude avatar
XSpooky_Mint
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didn't kill your dog. I DIDN'T kill your dog. I didn't KILL your dog. I didn't kill YOUR dog. I didn't kill your DOG.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#6

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

moist-grunge Report

Add photo comments
POST
maylin_martinsen avatar
May
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

English is considered one of the easier languages to learn - it gets much more complicated out there people

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Another confusing thing in the English language may be syntactic ambiguity. Here is an example: “I’m happy I’m a tennis player, and so is Albert.” It can mean four things: “I am happy Albert and I are both tennis players,” “I’m glad I'm a tennis player, and Albert is also a tennis player,” “Albert and I are both glad I’m a tennis player,” or “I am glad I’m a tennis player and Albert is also glad to be a tennis player.”

#8

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

allisonkollins Report

Add photo comments
POST
liverpoolroze avatar
Rose the Cook
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Both are rarely heard outside America except from people who think Americanisms are trendy.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Geronyms, brand names used to mean an everyday item, are also common in the English language. These terms have seeped into the general psyche and are used more often than their technical counterparts. We almost always ‘Google’ something instead of doing an ‘online search.’ In the US especially, for example, people often refer to cotton swabs as ‘Q-Tips’ after their brand name. Increasingly more popular nowadays is the process of ‘Photoshopping’ an image, after Adobe’s software of the same name.

Auto-antonyms are words with multiple meanings, two of which are antonyms of one another. Some are used in everyday language without our realizing it: the word ‘off’ is guilty of this. We can turn something off, meaning it will cease to be on. Conversely, the alarm can go off, meaning it has—rather bizarrely—just turned on. In more technical terms, a ‘strike’ can, in baseball terminology, mean a hit or a miss.

ADVERTISEMENT
#10

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

chlothegod Report

#12

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

dajo42 Report

Add photo comments
POST
ohxrkqra avatar
Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

English has more than five vowels but only five letters to display them.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#13

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

egberts Report

Add photo comments
POST
abigail-hope-cullen avatar
Gay_Forg
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO READ THIS CORRECTLY AND UNDERSTAND IT

View more commentsArrow down menu
#15

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

lisaquestions Report

Add photo comments
POST
manusal avatar
El muerto
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

when ask to use ones own words. I go; "emjuju wata wata majojo" because those are my own words.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#18

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

trexis__ Report

Add photo comments
POST
der-tod-auf-raedern avatar
Cactus McCoy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Easy. As an English/American native speaker go for german words like "Streichholzschachtel".

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#19

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

Real_jaeflex Report

Add photo comments
POST
ner_diz avatar
Serial pacifist
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also, if a person from Poland is a Pole, then shouldn't a person from Holland be a Hole?

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#20

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

farmsuggestion Report

Add photo comments
POST
saragregory0508 avatar
NsG
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The "if" throws me. "You all would have" all contract in previously accepted ways. Same with "I would have". I have never seen "if" contracted into anything before. It would have been recognisable as Y'all'd've if I'd've. (Because I'd also like to point out that the apostrophe around I'd was in the wrong place)

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#24

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

rudy_betrayed Report

Add photo comments
POST
ianmilne2159 avatar
Ian Milne
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pony Bologna only rhymes if you pronounce Bologna incorrectly

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#26

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

Report

Add photo comments
POST
ohxrkqra avatar
Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't know about anyone else, bt seeing "nineth" makes me want to say it as nin-eth with two syllables. Maybe that is why ninth eventually beat nineth, for a time both versions were correct.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#28

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

Report

Add photo comments
POST
wendillon avatar
Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Huh...TIL that intimate was also a verb. Thank you random sentences.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#29

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

livemulticulturually Report

Add photo comments
POST
allanjohnbreum avatar
Allan Breum
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kowtow is technically not an English word, its an anglicized version of a Chinese words.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#31

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

maddylizy Report

Add photo comments
POST
summermason avatar
Summer Mason
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Trying to teach my daughter to read and write is hard. She has to sound out her words when reading. But the sounds the words make are not the same as spelling them on paper. 🙃

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#32

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

ohheykenz123 Report

Add photo comments
POST
ohxrkqra avatar
Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Different words developing the same spelling over time. Bass (base) is from Mediaeval Latin, bass (fish) is from a Germanic root.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#34

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

alexkoford Report

Add photo comments
POST
rebeccabailey_1 avatar
Rebecca Bailey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Arkansas and Kansas didnt come from English. Arkansas is a French corruption of the pronunciation of a Quapaw word meaning "The Down River People" Kansas is named after the Kansa people. Almost all of the states names came from native words, or French or Spanish corruptions of those native words.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#35

English-Language-Frustrating-Logic

PatrickReza Report

Add photo comments
POST
saragregory0508 avatar
NsG
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because it relates to gratitude, not greatitude? (Very much a guess, I haven't had a brew yet)

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Note: this post originally had 37 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.