45 language and words trivia questions and answers
The questions combine grammar and punctuation with word origins, sound patterns, writing systems, language families, figures of speech, wordplay, and the ways languages change.
Updated
Questions 1–20
What punctuation mark ends a direct question?
easy
Question mark
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Question_mark?oldid=1365255154
What is the opposite of a synonym?
easy
An antonym
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposite?oldid=1355664222#Types_of_antonyms
Which language is primarily spoken in Brazil?
easy
Portuguese
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Portuguese?oldid=1365681856
What do we call a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea?
easy
A noun
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noun?oldid=1358395188
How many letters are in the modern English alphabet?
easy
26 letters
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_alphabet?oldid=1364945547
What humorous plural is sometimes used for moose?
easy
Meese
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_plurals?oldid=1359743235#Apophonic_plurals
Which Hawaiian word was borrowed into English?
easy
Aloha
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha?oldid=1361860286#Etymology
What does the prefix un- usually mean?
easy
Not, opposite of
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_prefix?oldid=1361171529#Selectional_restrictions
What process creates a verb from a noun, adjective, or other word?
hard
Verbification
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_(word_formation)?oldid=1350823278#Verbification
What is a group of lines in a poem called?
medium
A stanza
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanza?oldid=1307347128
What is the official language of Spain?
easy
Spanish
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language?oldid=1365991957#Europe
What name is given to words such as buzz and hiss that imitate sounds?
medium
Onomatopoeia
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia?oldid=1358752178
What is the past tense of teach?
easy
Taught
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_irregular_verbs?oldid=1363180906#Weak_verbs
Which punctuation mark can indicate the elision of one or more sounds?
easy
The apostrophe
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostrophe?oldid=1365606732#As_a_mark_of_elision
How many languages are involved in bilingualism?
easy
Two
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilingualism?oldid=1364641504
What kind of dictionary sorts words alphabetically from their last letter toward their first?
hard
A rhyming dictionary
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabetical_order?oldid=1361673699#Similar_orderings
What is a palindrome?
medium
A word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palindrome?oldid=1357755454
Which Romance language belongs to the Indo-European family?
hard
French
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language?oldid=1365270290#History
What part of speech describes a noun?
easy
An adjective
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjective?oldid=1355182032
Why are quotation marks placed around exact spoken words?
easy
Direct speech, a quotation, or a phrase
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark?oldid=1362801953
Questions 21–40
What is a homophone?
medium
A word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning or in spelling
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophone?oldid=1353981755
How many syllables does a trisyllable have?
easy
Three
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllable?oldid=1364042296
When was Esperanto created?
hard
The late 1870s and early 1880s
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto?oldid=1364848530#Creation
What is an acronym formed from the first letters of a phrase?
easy
An abbreviation formed using the initial letters of a multi-word name or phrase
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym?oldid=1364213132
How can silent letters arise?
hard
Sound changes occurring without a spelling change
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_letter?oldid=1361871649#English
Which case is used for the first letter of a proper noun in English?
easy
A capital letter
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalization?oldid=1365007816
What does etymology study?
medium
The study of the origin and evolution of words
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology?oldid=1363804367
Which writing system represents Japanese words alongside kana?
medium
Kanji
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji?oldid=1364249721
What is the smallest meaningful unit in language?
hard
A morpheme
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpheme?oldid=1357066498#Changing_definitions
What rhetorical device compares two things using like or as?
easy
A simile
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simile?oldid=1361263513
Which language family includes English, Hindi, Greek, and Spanish?
hard
Indo-European
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_languages?oldid=1365487373
What is the dot above a lowercase i or j called?
hard
The tittle
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tittle?oldid=1361961499
How does an oxymoron combine ideas?
medium
Concepts with opposite meanings
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymoron?oldid=1341701285
How is switching between languages within one conversation described?
medium
Code-switching
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-switching?oldid=1365234010#Use
What other name does the ampersand have?
easy
The and sign
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampersand?oldid=1361060898
How does an abjad differ from an alphabet?
hard
Only consonants are represented by letter signs
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abjad?oldid=1365309583
Which English sentence is famous for using every letter of the alphabet?
easy
A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_quick_brown_fox_jumps_over_the_lazy_dog?oldid=1363164708#History
What can be created when someone mishears a poem or song and substitutes similar-sounding words?
hard
Mondegreens
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen?oldid=1364231388
Name the grammatical mood used for commands.
medium
The imperative
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperative_mood?oldid=1356285741
What is an inherently funny word?
hard
A word that is humorous without context
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inherently_funny_word?oldid=1360309630
Questions 41–45
Which sound change swaps sounds within a word, as in ask becoming aks?
hard
Metathesis
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metathesis_(linguistics)?oldid=1363267691
What does the linguistic term schwa describe?
hard
A reduced mid central vowel
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid_central_vowel?oldid=1360793361
Which ancient script was deciphered partly through the Behistun Inscription?
hard
Cuneiform
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behistun_inscription?oldid=1365730948
What is reduplication in word formation?
hard
A morphological process in which the root or stem of a word, part of that, or the whole word is repeated exactly or with a slight change
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduplication?oldid=1365132222
Why is the Great Vowel Shift important to English spelling?
hard
The major reason English spellings now often deviate considerably from how they represent pronunciations
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift?oldid=1360537139
How to play
Do not spell the answer while introducing a question about letters, scripts, or word formation. For sound-based terms, read the example once, then repeat it at normal speed without exaggerating the relevant sound.
Plan the round and team scores
8 turns × 60 seconds = 8 minutes of play, plus instructions and breaks.
60
These are adjustable house rules. Pause whenever the group needs more time.
Team 1: 0
Team 2: 0