SGEM Week

Dear Children,

I hope you have enjoyed the SGEM treats!

English Language Trivia

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched".

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

No word in the English language rhymes with "month", "silver", "purple" or "orange".

The symbol on the "pound" key (#) is called an octothorpe.

The symbol used in many URLs (Web addresses) is called a tilde. (~)

The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle.

The word "set" has more definitions than any other word in English.

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

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

The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

The only other word with the same number of letters is its plural: pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses.

The longest place-name still in use is:Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwe-nuakit natahu, the Maori name of a hill in New Zealand.

The full name of Los Angeles is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reinade los Angeles de Porciuncula" and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.

The verb "cleave" has definitions which are antonyms of each other: to adhere and to separate.

The verb "sanction" also has definitions which are antonyms: to sponsor and to ban.

A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.

There is a seven-letter word in English that contains eleven words without rearranging any of its letters, "therein": the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, I, therein, herein.

"Stewardesses" is the longest English word that is typed with only the left hand.

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable".

The word "checkmate" in chess comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat" which means "The king is dead.".

Only three words have entered English from Czech: polka, pilsner, and robot.

Interesting?