National Word Nerd Day

Word Nerd Day is a celebration on January 9th of every year. Whether you always know what to say, or you often just keep your mouth shut, words are essential to our success and progress. National Word Nerd Day is a perfect chance to learn some new words, use some old words, and maybe even borrow them from others! We have some verbose ways to spend your day and detailed views on how to celebrate this National Day of Words!

History of Word Nerd Day

Humans have communicated since we first walked the Earth, although our early language was not as complex as the word system we use today. Once, our basic vocabulary range was no different from that of the great apes, but as we advanced, so did our language.

With lifestyle developments, we need to be able to name things, communicate ideas, and express ourselves to support our advancement. Words and language became increasingly important, but it took centuries until they were considered important enough to be documented.

During the Middle Ages, writing was considered a luxury, only the rich or anointed could read and write in a sophisticated way. So the majority can only enjoy speech through oral storytelling. Shakespeare and other great wordsmiths used their love of words to delight theater audiences, even inventing words to use in their works.

Nevertheless, by the mid-18th century, reading and writing were more widely taught and accessible to more people. It was therefore necessary to generate a complete list of words and their meanings in English, a task undertaken by Dr Samuel Johnson, who was paid the sum of 1,500 guineas (equivalent to US$325,000 per day now) to complete it. . After seven years of hard work, his dictionary was published in 1755 and is still considered by many to be one of the most influential texts on the English language.

Nowadays, we celebrate National Word Nerd Day to point the importance of words in our history and civilization, giving us a reason to dig into our favorites!

How to Celebrate Word Nerd Day

Celebrating Word Nerd Day is pretty simple. You are encouraged to show off your vocabulary and talents on this Day. Prove to others how much knowledge you have about those words. If you love knowing all those complicated, unusual words, get your dictionary out and start learning two new words a day. Remember those words and use them sensibly. If you don't have time to grab a dictionary, use the dictionary apps available for smartphones to list words and their meanings daily with a notification. Encourage your child to know different words and make it a habit from an early age. You can even call your family and friends to do crossword puzzles, word building and such word games. Share different words you know on social media using hashtags #WordNerdDay.

5 interesting facts about the English Language to geek out over

1. It's the shortest sentence is one of the most popular

The shortest possible complete sentence in the English language is simply ‘I am.’ Small but powerful, we use this sentence all the time without even realizing what it means.

2. It grows every 2 hours

On average, a new word is added to the English dictionary every two hours, with nearly 4,000 words added each year.

3. The shortest word is the oldest word with most frequent usage

The first words are the words used to describe ourselves, so it's no surprise that 'I' is one of the oldest and most frequently used words in conversation.

4. Some words are the same when read backwards

Palindrome is the same word when read backward or read forward. Commonly used palindromes include "racecar", "kayak", and even phrases such as "never odd or even".

5. A pangram sentences use all letters

You may encounter pangram sentences when practicing handwriting, as they use every letter in the English language.