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Languages of the United Kingdom

Guess the living native languages of the UK, as well as the most common immigrant languages.
According to Wikipedia
Some of the native languages can be considered dialects
Quiz by
Quizmaster
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Last updated: December 4, 2019
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First submittedMay 18, 2014
Times taken40,859
Average score50.0%
Rating4.13
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Native Languages
English
Welsh
Scots
British Sign Language
Irish
Angloromani
Scottish Gaelic
Cornish
Shelta
Immigrant Language
Polish
Punjabi
Urdu
Bengali
Gujarati
Arabic
French
Chinese
Portuguese
Spanish
Immigrant Language
Tamil
Turkish
Italian
Somali
Lithuanian
German
Persian
Filipino
Romanian
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97 Comments
sillie
+29
Level 75
May 20, 2014
I applaud the inclusion of BSL even if I missed it completely. It's not one that easily springs to mind, but YES it should be included.
tom88
+4
Level 77
Apr 15, 2016
Indeed! I didn't get it, but I like that its on here
xyz17
+8
Level 52
Dec 31, 2019
Perhaps include a bullet point to note that not all languages included are spoken languages?
kalbahamut
+36
Level 79
May 30, 2014
Once again I forgot there are a bunch of Lithuanians in the UK. But I got "Shelta," whatever the heck that is, by trying to type in "Cantonese."
chattypenguin
+9
Level 33
May 30, 2014
Shelta is sometimes referred to as "Cant."
ElHarisonio
+16
Level 53
Jan 3, 2016
Yes, the travellers will often shout "You Cant!" at each other ;-)
Sifhraven
+2
Level 76
Jan 14, 2019
Interesting hadnt heared of either ! I wonder why (no sarcasm, I thought i'd add that, since that phrase is used with sarcasm more often then not. And this site does not have a shortage of sarcastic comments)
Findlay
+4
Level 80
Aug 14, 2016
I suspect that's how most people get it. It's certainly how I came to it.
jamesd
+9
Level 67
Jan 10, 2017
yep, me too. Looks like all Chinese languages are combined in this quiz. If you are going to combine Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu, etc, why not also combine French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian? Also, Gujarathi really should be an acceptable type-in for Gujarati.
YerevanNaypyidaw
+2
Level 30
Jun 14, 2017
Haha, same
mahble
+1
Level 79
Sep 19, 2017
ditto
H1905
+1
Level 47
Jul 7, 2024
Same
WelshWizard
+4
Level 89
May 30, 2014
A 2010 Scottish Government study of "public attitudes towards the Scots language" found that 64% of respondents (around 1,000 individuals being a representative sample of Scotland's adult population) "don't really think of Scots as a language", - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language.

More like a very distinct dialect.

LarryLovage
+3
Level 55
Jun 11, 2015
I once saw a map of Europe's languages, and was surprised to see Scots listed as a separate language, while the inhabitants of Sicily were labelled as speaking Italian. I guarantee Sicilian is more a different language to Italian than Scots is to English.
Tyacke
+5
Level 59
Dec 24, 2020
Are you a Scots and Scicilian speaker? If not, how can you guarantee?
ljhb48
+2
Level 43
Jan 27, 2021
a survey of the non-linguistically inclined scottish population is of less worth than the academic linguistic community which generally (but not universally) consider scots to be a separate language.
nordicpug1
+3
Level 21
May 11, 2022
people are surprisingly bad at categorising their own language. for example most people in jamaica consider patois a dialect of english whereas to most english people its completely incomprehensible and is considered a language by linguists. so the thoughts of scottish people , although it may seem counterintuitive, dont necessarily mean too much
brandybuck96
+4
Level 82
Dec 16, 2022
'A language is a dialect with an army and a navy'
Stoggler
+1
Level 56
Apr 24, 2026
Often quoted but doesn't stand up to scrutiny (so many languages exist without some form of government support around the world, not even close to having an army or a navy)
DocEckleburg
+2
Level 68
Jul 4, 2024
I raised this point on Reddit not long ago and was met with a wall of vitriol.
Glitschko56
+14
Level 57
May 30, 2014
Manx?
lolrobbielol
+2
Level 52
May 30, 2014
It has no native speakers, unfortunately.
ponnuki
+3
Level 57
Jun 1, 2014
Which does however mean that at least we won't have to discuss whether Man is part of the UK for the purpose of this quiz.
fizzcroak
+4
Level 28
Dec 27, 2017
but surely the same rule should apply to BSL?
tts937
+2
Level 82
Jul 28, 2021
Aren't deaf people native BSL speakers?
onegonecat
+2
Level 72
Jun 14, 2017
No native speakers? What are you talking about? Wikipedia lists ~1,800 speakers.
brandybuck96
+1
Level 82
Mar 13, 2024
It lists 2,200 second language and 23 first language speakers in 2021. Only the first language ones are presumably counted under 'native speaker', and it's not impossible that when OP commented there were in fact no native speakers, although it's likely there was just a negligible amount.
Stoggler
+1
Level 56
Apr 24, 2026
Manx is spoken on the Isle of Man, which is not a part of the United Kingdom. In the same way, Jèrriais and Guernésiais are not included in this quiz.
Spam286
+2
Level 49
May 30, 2014
Bah, I have a friend who speaks Gujarati and it didn't even occur to me. Good quiz.
DiscoBayGolfer
+3
Level 80
May 30, 2014
So, I first try American Sign Language. I live in California. Then, hello, it's UK. Did get BSL after a second or two.
Almariel
+1
Level 58
May 30, 2014
Argh I kept typing Welsch instead of Welsh -_-
Mogysht
+1
Level 49
May 31, 2014
I tried Punjab, but not Punjabi :D
Zefyrinus
+3
Level 74
May 31, 2014
What about the languages of the Channel Islands? Or are they not considered to be UK?
cariad
+1
Level 40
May 3, 2015
English is the language of the Channel Islands, though some people there also speak French; there is no indigenous language in the islands.
brandybuck96
+2
Level 82
Dec 16, 2022
The local varieties of French are however very distinct from Standard French. I don't believe many people speak them any more though.
Wistful
+3
Level 72
Oct 4, 2023
Not exactly. They also speak Jèrriais and Guernésiais, the indigenous varieties of Norman French.
Jiaozira
+1
Level 72
Aug 3, 2025
They are not considered part of the UK, which is why their languages are not here.
IamTHEbest
+1
Level 21
Jun 1, 2014
100 percent with 1:46 left
kevinj
+1
Level 43
Jun 3, 2014
Whit dae ye mean there's nae Doric
nanook
+1
Level 50
Jun 5, 2014
What is Scots? That's like saying Brummy or Geordie?
TinkyFitchFeeley
+1
Level 25
Sep 5, 2015
Scots or Scots Gaelic, to give it its full name, is a Celtic language spoken in Scotland. It's entirely different from an accent, like Brummy or Geordie.
helenap13
+12
Level 66
Dec 20, 2015
Scots and Gaelic are completely different. Scots is more of a dialect of English, according to those of us that speak it. Gaelic is a completely different language with nothing in common with English whatsoever.
donniedarko
+4
Level 55
Jun 7, 2014
So, I must still be asleep or something because I totally forgot English...
Shikari
+4
Level 32
Nov 18, 2014
Angloromany??? Nobody (except perhaps a linguist) calls it that - please, please add the usual name of Romany as an optional spelling. I tried to think of the names of the Jersey and Guernsey dialects of Norman French, but you're right to exclude then as not formally being part of the UK.
Quizer
+1
Level 38
Nov 25, 2014
I don't understand why you have put Cornish in here. By that ruling all English accents should be included.
geolg123
+8
Level 13
May 18, 2015
Cornish have their own language. It is known as 'Kernor' which is Cornish for Cornish.
OfficerDibble
+1
Level 86
Apr 7, 2018
Yep. It did die out, but has been resurrected - few genuine native speakers even now, but it has to qualify as a native language that is spoken.
FadKrashmor
+2
Level 70
Apr 21, 2020
Indeed, Cornish is spoken by about 0.0008 % of the population. And is not actually the first language of many of these. For comparison, native speakers of Punjabi make up nearly 0.5% of the population. In other words there are about 500 times as many native Punjabi speakers as Cornish speakers in the UK. There are about as many native Polish speakers in the UK as the entire population of Cornwall, of whom perhaps 0.1 % can speak Cornish.
APHill
+3
Level 76
Dec 17, 2014
Where is Scouse?
cariad
+1
Level 40
May 3, 2015
I have never heard of either Angloromani or Shelter and have lived here all my 67 years.
nordicpug1
+2
Level 21
May 11, 2022
shelta is the language of the irish travellers and angloromani of the british roma. it is unsurprising you've never heard of it
Yamaneko
+3
Level 78
Sep 22, 2015
What surprises me the most is the absence of Yoruba, as there is a lot of Nigerians in UK...
Kamehameha2011
+1
Level 80
Apr 1, 2026
….who all speak English.
Shikari
+3
Level 32
Jan 19, 2016
Angloromani? Can't you call it Romany? No-one uses that very technical name. Romany appears in the various Oxford dictionaries, where Angloromany (or Anglo-Romany) doesn't (except perhaps in the full 20-volume OED). You could use Roma except it would catch Romanian too.
Yossarian
+4
Level 62
Nov 2, 2016
I tried straight up Romani and was surprised when it wasn't accepted.
Walacama
+2
Level 83
Nov 23, 2016
I tried Romani, Romany, and Gypsy. I went and looked it up and "Angloromany" appears to be different than Romani. It is a combination of Romani and English. Learn something new everyday on Jet Punk.
beccimoo
+2
Level 55
Feb 16, 2016
Like cariad, I have lived in the UK all my life and have never heard of Shelta or Angloromani. Although according to wiki, Angloromani has not been spoken in the UK since the 19th century. And if APHill wants Scouse included, I want Geordie!!
Senlac
+1
Level 50
Apr 18, 2016
Doric should be included in native languages.
WishfulThinker
+1
Level 30
Jul 24, 2016
Any chance of accepting gaellic?

Damn it. Cant believe I didn't try it with one l

Stoggler
+1
Level 56
Apr 24, 2026
Why? It's never spelt that way.
Bubblecat
+1
Level 78
Jul 28, 2016
Just discovered I've been misspelling Gujarati (I thought it was Gujurati for some reason). Oh well, I know for next time.
JohnOfili
+2
Level 39
Sep 7, 2016
ultser scots?
Trix
+1
Level 55
Nov 23, 2016
Surprised that both 'Scots' and 'Scottish Gaelic' is listed. Surely Scouse or Geordie should be included as well?

And no Yiddish or Hebrew? There is a large and well-established jewish community in the UK.

BenC21
+1
Level 43
Feb 4, 2017
Scouse and Geordie are dialects, whereas Scots and Scottish Gaelic (which are very different, by the way) are languages.
mariposita
+3
Level 69
Jan 10, 2017
Where is Manx Gaelic? I believe there are still a few native speakers, and although there are not a considerable amount, it is undergoing a revival in local schools and has I believe around 3,000 total fluent speakers.
crespipal
+2
Level 62
Jun 22, 2017
Isle of Man, like Channel islands, is a Crown dependency, thus is not part of the UK. Otherwise, also French and Jersey and Guersney local languages should be included as UK native language.

On the other hand, in Akrothiri and Dhekelia Greek is an official language, while in Gibraltar Spanish and Llanito are also spoken, and different creoles appear in the Caribbean overseas UK territories.

geographic
+1
Level 59
Dec 13, 2017
I think Tagalog should be accepted.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Dec 14, 2017
It is accepted
Kazinator16
+1
Level 38
Apr 7, 2018
Greek should be on here there's a huge Cypriot community in the UK
boopuffyboo
+1
Level 51
May 4, 2018
If Scots is really a separate language as people say, why can I as a native English speaker from England understand 90% of it without a problem? It's just heavily dialected English.
Geographyearth
+1
Level 71
Oct 2, 2018
I think gaeilge should be accepted for Irish
Sifhraven
+1
Level 76
Jan 14, 2019
I agree gaeilge should be accepted. First tried that, then tried goidelic then started typing scottish something I believe, not sure it that turned scots or scottish gaelic green.
TravelingMama
+1
Level 72
Nov 13, 2018
This was tricky. I had no idea there were so many native living languages in the UK.
Sifhraven
+1
Level 76
Jan 14, 2019
after english irish scottish gaelic and welsh, ow and scots...

there were still blank spots... so I tried to remember the old tribes, so I tried saxon and picts and celtic and anglos and francs etc

dognose
+4
Level 88
Jan 26, 2019
Of course Hindi should be there. And so should Manx, which is an official language on the Isle of man.
GeoDude
+1
Level 46
Apr 7, 2019
What about American
tzhg
+2
Level 58
Jun 24, 2019
Hindi should be accepted for Urdu. It is the same language, there's just a different alphabet.
coxbury
+1
Level 57
Aug 19, 2019
Angloromani? Then also Cymroromani - there are PROBABLY more Welsh Romani than English Romani - especially still speaking any form of Romani
brandybuck96
+1
Level 82
Mar 13, 2024
According to Wikipedia, the Welsh Romani language went extinct in the 1960s.
JackintheBox
+6
Level 82
Mar 11, 2021
Surprised that Hindi isn't here. Got all but BSL and Angloromani.
Oatmeal11
+2
Level 78
Apr 22, 2021
What about Gibberish? I hear that's pretty popular in the UK
vsjm280
+1
Level 60
Jan 5, 2023
Ulster-Scots should definitely be on here.
AlW
+1
Level 80
Feb 14, 2024
If Cornish is included then surely so should be Manx.
TheRev
+1
Level 69
May 6, 2024
I didn't try BSL but I did try Braille (which doesn't seem to be included).
notmees
+1
Level 44
Jun 10, 2024
i'd add manx. there are no original native speakers but there are children of 2d language speakers who speak it as a 1st language, wich i'd count
zslova
+2
Level 43
Sep 2, 2025
manx, jerriais, guernesias?
Stoggler
+1
Level 56
Apr 24, 2026
Spoken in the Crown Dependencies, which are not part of the UK.
ErenJaeger2005
+2
Level 68
Nov 23, 2025
Why are Hindi speakers not on the list? There's like 160,000 and it's also among the first ones you'd think of.
LordAdamVader
+1
Level 53
Dec 29, 2025
Accidentally spelt 'Scots' with two 't's and kept wondering why it wasn't accepting it xD
WanderingWalrus
+1
Level 82
Feb 28, 2026
As someone born in the UK and lived here for over 60 years, I do find this list somewhat odd. I am with those who want Hindi included. I hear it all the time, but the fact that it is my wife's native language and so I easily recognise it may have something to do with this!

As it's an official language of India, it is highly likely that many speakers of other Indian languages on this list also speak Hindi. And then there is Hindustani, the effective lingua franca of the Indian subcontinent, making this also likely to be widely spoken by speakers of Urdu,Punjabi, Bengali etc.

Some above mention Manx because of the Isle of Man, but the Isle of Man is not part of the UK.

And what is meant by Chinese? Mandarin? Cantonese? Wu? No idea what percentage speak it here but to describe a language as Chinese is like describing German as Germanic!

Then what about Northumbrian? It is most certainly a native language and, according recent censuses, more widely spoken than Cornish.

nootathotep
+1
Level 33
Mar 19, 2026
I think you mean the Isle of Man is not part of Great Britain. It is part of the United Kingdom, otherwise it would be independent.
Stoggler
+1
Level 56
Apr 24, 2026
The Isle of Man is NOT a part of the UK, all three Crown Dependencies are separate from the UK (it's a weird relationship, but they are considered separate).
WanderingWalrus
+1
Level 82
Feb 28, 2026
Finally, English should be classed as an immigrant language rather than a native one as it derives from languages introduced into the UK in the 5th and 6th centuries by Germanic speaking settlers, whereas most, if not all, of the others described as Native are truly indigenous.
brandybuck96
+1
Level 82
Mar 8, 2026
The Celtic languages are not the native languages of the UK. They likely came over during the Iron Age, either through immigration or cultural transfer.
Stoggler
+1
Level 56
Apr 24, 2026
Then all languages should be considered immigrant languages: humans speaking languages didn't just spring up from nowhere when the icesheets retreated after the last ice age!
nootathotep
+2
Level 33
Mar 19, 2026
Manx, Norman
Stoggler
+1
Level 56
Apr 24, 2026
Spoken in the Crown Dependencies, which are not a part of the UK.
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