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Archaic Words

Can you guess these archaic words - based on a definition and an example?
Most of the examples come from Shakespeare or the King James Bible
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Quizmaster
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Last updated: December 9, 2019
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First submittedAugust 25, 2013
Times taken44,462
Average score61.9%
Rating4.52
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Definition
Example
Word
You
With this ring, I ____ wed.
Thee
You
O __ of little faith.
Ye
Your
To _____ own self be true.
Thine
Your
Love ___ neighbor.
Thy
Two
Never the _____ shall meet.
Twain
Are
How great thou ___.
Art
Have
What ___ thou wrought?
Hast
To here
Come ______.
Hither
To there
Oh, let me escape ______.
Thither
To where
______ goest thou?
Whither
From where
Begone, foul beast. I will banish you _____ you came.
Whence
Has
Thirty days ____ September.
Hath
Opposite of nay
Vote ___ for Scottish independence.
Aye
Brothers
A servant of servants shall he be unto his _______.
Brethren
Between
Let there now be an oath _______ us.
Betwixt
It seems to me
The lady doth protest too much, ________.
Methinks
Before
Able was I ___ I saw Elba.
Ere
Expression of sorrow
_____ and alas.
Alack
Comes
The iceman ______.
Cometh
Do (second person)
But why ____ thou judge thy brother?
Dost
Truthfully
_____, I say unto you
Verily
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69 Comments
buck1017
+8
Level 78
Dec 2, 2013
surprised that wherefore was not included. Neat Quiz
Quizmaster
+28
Level ∞
Jan 26, 2017
I didn't want to deal with the complaints from people who think "wherefore" means "where".
Jeffro
+5
Level 79
Sep 14, 2021
Who, what , where, how, wherefore, and when.
Koopa
+10
Level 88
Dec 23, 2021
I would have put it on there. It's a great educational opportunity. If they had a good English teacher (and paid attention), they would have known it. Also, if they do a quick search, they would be immediately proven to be incorrect.

And you could always reply, "Prithee, I am loath to argue with thine unfilléd pate."

Schnuck
+1
Level 18
Aug 27, 2025
i kept typing variations but it was whither
LadyScroop
+13
Level 68
Sep 22, 2014
Methinks thou shouldst create another same such quiz.

I also just realized that was in iambic hexameter. I've been reading too much Shakespeare.

IsleAuHaulte
+7
Level 92
Oct 31, 2019
I thought he always stuck to pentameter.
jmellor13
+6
Level 68
Dec 25, 2019
He did.
RJF
+3
Level 67
Sep 27, 2022
I was kind of surprised to see 'methinks' on here; that one seems to me to be a lot more current than the other examples. I've personally used it a handful of times, and I don't consider myself too ancient.
Schnuck
+1
Level 18
Aug 27, 2025
i don’t know your origin, but i heard it iin the Maritimes. I went up for a bit to visit, but misunderstood my vacation time (a weekend?!) so i got fired and hung out and worked on farms and boats for the fall.

Some people haven’t left their islands, even my cousin who was about 30. Some were stuck tending the farms, bemoaning the injustice of others going to America or the lumber woods.

I still use my grandfather’s ancient swears.

Alack and alas, they are verboten here.

:~\

kalbahamut
+4
Level 79
Jun 26, 2017
Wouldn't "yea" work for "aye?"
scrumpyone
+10
Level 44
Jun 26, 2017
I think it is specifically aye due to the Scottish bit in the clue.
kogatora
+5
Level 96
Jul 22, 2018
aye is specifically the term that would be used in parliamentary language so fits the clue better.
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Oct 30, 2019
Yea will work now.
QuizWol
+4
Level 66
Dec 1, 2019
I tried yay because it is closest to nay. Ah well.
fitheach
+16
Level 58
Jun 26, 2017
I wouldn't have said "aye" was archaic, considering it's still used in large parts of the UK (not just in Scotland).
worm
+5
Level 63
Jun 26, 2017
Indeed. It's in daily use around here. Which is Scotland to be fair, but it still counts dammit! ;)
lucd13
+7
Level 70
Jun 26, 2017
There are quite a few of these that I'd argue are not yet archaic. Many of these words are still used in the Commonwealth Realms.
OfficerDibble
+8
Level 86
Nov 25, 2018
Completely agree. Many of these words would be better described as regional (in some cases) or formal (in others) rather than archaic.
kapulani3
+1
Level 75
Jun 26, 2017
Twice, I had the correct word and spelled it wrong. One too many "e"s in brethren and one too few 'h"s in whither.
Moosefight
+1
Level 59
Jun 27, 2017
If hither is here, thither is there, whither is where, then where is zither?
tamurmur
+8
Level 45
Jun 27, 2017
zither is over "zhere"
IsleAuHaulte
+7
Level 92
Aug 12, 2018
Russia usually
tschaumann
+2
Level 41
Mar 31, 2018
Can you add bretheren for brethren?
samiamco
+2
Level 68
Nov 12, 2019
Nay, forsooth!
BlackLab
+1
Level 66
Jul 28, 2023
yeah. I've always heard it pronounce that way. Just like I've always heard do-est not dost
IsleAuHaulte
+7
Level 92
Jun 18, 2018
Thou dost (second person singular) means you do, not you does. Doth is third person singular: he/she/it doth, "he does".
Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
Oct 30, 2019
Fixed.
divantilya
+4
Level 36
Aug 30, 2018
Nitpickers aside, this was an excellent idea for a quiz. Thank you!
samiamco
+1
Level 68
Oct 18, 2018
I tried to spell "alack" as just "alak", and "whither" without the h. Verily. Forsooth!
sumguy
+5
Level 87
Oct 30, 2019
The definition column really isn't necessary. Every answer I knew was obvious from the example.
APHill
+3
Level 76
Oct 31, 2019
Agreed. I didn't even realize that column was there until about halfway through.
JackintheBox
+11
Level 82
Nov 3, 2019
Not necessary for you.
Karamchand
+1
Level 49
Dec 25, 2019
This quiz could use Tolkien examples
wyocowgirl
+1
Level 80
Dec 26, 2019
Thou should be accepted as well as Ye in the second question. "O thou of little faith"
Cooldrive
+6
Level 64
Sep 9, 2021
Thou is singular, ye is plural.
Kawada01
+1
Level 65
Jul 27, 2023
Thou is t and ye is v.
TheRealGrantma
+2
Level 55
Aug 17, 2020
No hablo fancy English
JackintheBox
+5
Level 82
Sep 9, 2021
Some of these are similar to modern German words.
anon14
+2
Level 68
Nov 2, 2023
Yes, that's because English is a Germanic language.
WelshWizard
+1
Level 89
Sep 9, 2021
Surprised there's no-one in these comments being anal about "ye" having just been a different way of writing "the".
obdormio
+5
Level 81
Sep 9, 2021
That's a different "ye". This "ye" is an actual "ye". I can see no reason why anyone would ever mix up "ye" and "ye", when ye olde "ye" is only ever used in an entirely different context from "ye", ya see?
Cooldrive
+1
Level 64
Sep 9, 2021
Congratulations. Whose anality is being shed forth here?
ddddan
+3
Level 85
Feb 10, 2022
anality = a cross between anal & banality?
megaloceros
+1
Level 71
Feb 27, 2025
ye - second person plural

ye - also a way of writing 'the' as a substitute for the character thorn (þ) when it's not available...

pronounced differently plus lots of homographs exist in english

Walden7
+1
Level 75
Sep 9, 2021
So english used to be a normal language with a singular and a plural 'you'?

And had pronoun specific conjugation? :O

Why did the language stupidify (simplify) itself?

vermiciousknid
+2
Level 91
Sep 16, 2021
I can't speak to the rest of your comment, but y'all functions as a "plural you" for myself and many others in the USA, especially the south. There are also several other terms that serve the purpose in common use.
brandybuck96
+3
Level 82
Jun 25, 2023
'Simplification' happens in all languages, whether by analogy or disuse or otherwise, and it's not 'stupidification'. Indeed you could argue it's MORE stupid to have so many redundant or obscure forms in the system. How are you classing a 'normal' or 'intelligent' language? Do languages without detailed tense, mood and aspect systems in the verb conjugation, like Chinese, count as 'stupid'? Anyway English more than makes up for 'simplification' elsewhere.
Cooldrive
+1
Level 64
Sep 9, 2021
A fun quiz, though my favorite, "whithersoever" is missing.
ddddan
+1
Level 85
Feb 10, 2022
whomsoever is also nice
al314
+3
Level 92
Sep 9, 2021
'Whence' is still used properly by people who have studied English. The incorrect form 'from whence' is used by people who haven't but still want to sound educated.
Kawada01
+3
Level 65
Jul 27, 2023
If enough people say "from whence", it becomes the correct form and just "whence" becomes incorrect.
Dollyfroggy
+1
Level 63
Jul 28, 2023
Like "overwhelm".
Soph1
+1
Level 51
Sep 9, 2021
Anyone know someone who still uses 'methinks'? I'm not saying it's not an old fashioned or unused term because it generally is.
kiwiquizzer
+4
Level 68
Sep 9, 2021
I say methinks.
obmeb
+3
Level 58
Sep 13, 2021
It has popped from my mouth with a certain regularity, methinks.
johanna9
+2
Level 42
Sep 9, 2021
Dang it, if it said "Have (second person)" like it does later on for "Do" I'd have got it :/
husball
+1
Level 79
Sep 9, 2021
Aye is common modern language in Scotland, but it's also an archaic term that's used in English Parliament. Maybe clear up any confusion by changing the example to 354 ___ to the right
kitsims
+1
Level 86
Feb 2, 2022
It's also in daily use in large parts of England.
Yoshimano
+1
Level 66
Sep 9, 2021
urgh .. cometh you are!

Thanks

WWEFan619
+3
Level 60
Sep 20, 2022
The Iceman cometh...Kimi Raikkonen?
Marvo7
+1
Level 66
Jul 27, 2023
Many still in common use. I use 'betwixt' all the time.
aloepottt
+1
Level 55
Nov 27, 2023
You forgot whermst.
ItzIngenious
+1
Level 66
May 5, 2024
Kinda how American teenagers think the British speak.
Saintscat3
+1
Level 66
Jul 16, 2024
I learned some of these from krazy kat. The only one I missed was "alack" and when I saw it I knew it because "alas and alack" is a recurring joke
ThePerfectBoing
+1
Level 43
Aug 21, 2024
Where is Joesph Ducreux when you need him?
Sifhraven
+1
Level 76
Apr 30, 2025
Only one I missed was alack, perhaps that one has more to do with being well acquainted with Shakespeare (or the bible)? The others I have come across before often enoguh (not a native English speaker btw)..

For the other ones you knew what the modern word was, for which they were looking the older version. For this one, no idea. I could only think of woe, but alack, not alack ;)

BautyArg
+1
Level 52
Nov 9, 2025
Could you use {}?
Isfjella
+1
Level 75
Apr 6, 2026
Such a fun quiz! Could you accept "soothly" as a type-in for the "truthfully" question?
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