Archive

Dive into a collection of past posts and rediscover timeless content.

The languages that use sounds English can't even write

Aug 6, 2026

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1 min read

The languages that use sounds English can't even write

Click consonants: how clicks became ordinary letters in southern Africa

Why "knight" has a K (and other crimes of English spelling)

Aug 5, 2026

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2 min read

Why "knight" has a K (and other crimes of English spelling)

Blame a 600-year-old sound shift and some very unhelpful printers

The European language that isn't related to anything

Aug 3, 2026

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2 min read

The European language that isn't related to anything

Basque was there before the Romans and nobody knows where it came from

Jul 31, 2026

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1 min read

Why some languages run the other way

Plus: "hello" wasn't always a greeting

The same sound can mean "mother," "hemp," "horse," or "scold." Here's how.

Jul 29, 2026

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2 min read

The same sound can mean "mother," "hemp," "horse," or "scold." Here's how.

Plus: the book that makes Mandarin make sense, and the song every Chinese learner should know

The Greek word for when you put your whole self into something

Jul 27, 2026

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2 min read

The Greek word for when you put your whole self into something

Plus: the language with 84 consonants, and the alphabet that changed everything

English stole most of its words. Here's the heist.

Jul 24, 2026

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2 min read

English stole most of its words. Here's the heist.

Plus: the surprising origin of the word "salary"

These words look like they mean the same thing. They really don't.

Jul 22, 2026

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2 min read

These words look like they mean the same thing. They really don't.

Plus: the book that proves language changes how you see the world, and an Italian classic for your ears

The Danish word for a feeling you've had but never named

Jul 20, 2026

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2 min read

The Danish word for a feeling you've had but never named

Plus: the Peruvian language whose last speakers remember it only in dreams, and a surprising fact about "please"

Almost every language on Earth has this word. No one knows why.

Jul 17, 2026

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2 min read

Almost every language on Earth has this word. No one knows why.

Plus: the word "clue" used to mean something completely different

Archive

Dive into a collection of past posts and rediscover timeless content.

The languages that use sounds English can't even write

Why "knight" has a K (and other crimes of English spelling)

The European language that isn't related to anything

Why some languages run the other way

The same sound can mean "mother," "hemp," "horse," or "scold." Here's how.

The Greek word for when you put your whole self into something

English stole most of its words. Here's the heist.

These words look like they mean the same thing. They really don't.

The Danish word for a feeling you've had but never named

Almost every language on Earth has this word. No one knows why.

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