My mom doesn't speak English very well.
Source: tatoeba (1462)
English
/ˈɪŋ(ɡ)lɪʃ/
Synonyms for "english" (353 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (71)
abnakiafghanafghaniafrikaansainuakanakkadianalbanianaleutalgonquinamharicandamanannameseanzaniteapachearabicaramaicaraucanianarawakarchitecture
Show 48 more words
armenianassameseaustralavestanaymaraaztecbalinesebaluchibashkirbasquebatakbellacoolabengaliberberbhilibiharibikolbiniblackfootbrahuibugineseburmeseburushaskiburyatbyelorussiancantonesecaroliniancastiliancatalanchamcheremischerokeechibchachinchinesechuvashconstruecopticcornishcumanczechdafladalmatiandanishdinkadutchdyakedo
Strong matches (106)
efateseegyptianelamiticeskimoestonianethiopiceuskarianewefaeroesefaliscanfijianfinnishflemishfoxfrenchfrisianfulafulanigadabagaelic
Show 76 more words
galchagallagarogaulishgeezgeorgiangermangoldgoldigondigothicgreekguancheguaranigypsyhaidahaitian creolehausahawaiianhebrewhindustanihittitehohopihottentotibanibanagiboicelandicigorotillyrianirishitalianivatankachinkafirikalmuckkamasinkamchadalkanaresekara-kalpakkaramojongkarankawakareliankashmirikashubiankeresketkhamtikhariakhasikhmerkhondikhosakhowarkickapookiowa apachekirghizkiriwinakodagukohistanikoiarikolamikomikonkanikoreankorwakoryakkuikukikumykkunamakurdishkurukhkutchinkutenai
Noun(9 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (176)
ladinolahndalamponglamutlanguagelaolapplatinlatvianlettishlibyanligurianlimbulithuanianlivonianlow germanlusatianluwianlycianlydian
Show 147 more words
macedonianmaduresemagyarmalagasymalaymalayalammaltesemanchumandarinmandingomangarevanmanobomanxmaorimarathimayameitheimendemessapianmiddle englishmiddle greekmiddle high germanmiddle persianmishmimishongnovimisimamiskitomonmongolianmordvinmordvinianmoromrumuongmuramurmimuskogeenaganepalinewaringalangbakaniasesenicobareseniueannogainootkanorwegianoraonoriyaoscanosmanliosseticostyakpahlavipalaicpalaupalaungpalipampangopangasinanpashtopayapersianphrygianplattdeutschpolabianpolishportugueseprakritpunicpunjabiquechuarenderromaicromanshromanyrussianrutheniansabelliansaharansakaisamoansanskritsardiniansasakselungserbo-croatianshanshilhashluhsiamesesinhaleseslovakslovenesloveniansogdiansorbiansoyotspanishstylesumeriansusianswahiliswedishsyriacsyryeniantagalogtagulatahitiantajikitakelmatamashektamaulipectavgitaw-sugtigretipuratochariantodatranscribetranslatetransliteratetuaregtulutungusturkishturkomanturn intouighurumbrianurduuzbekvietnamesevisayanvotevotyakwawelshwhite russianxhosayakutyiddishyorubayurakzenagazulu
Noun(9 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abnaki, afghan, afghani, afrikaans, ainu.
- Sentence evidence is available for english, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss, derived_reverse, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "english".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "english"
Keep "english" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "english" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "english", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "english" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
18 entriesShowing 16 of 18 words.
More specific
15 entriesAmerican EnglishAngloAnglo-SaxonBritish EnglishCornishmanLondonerMiddle EnglishModern EnglishOld EnglishStandard EnglishYorkshiremancreative writinggrammar practiceliterature analysispoetry study
Collocations
8 entriesEnglish classEnglish grammarEnglish languageEnglish literatureEnglish spellingEnglish teacherenglish curriculumenglish vocabulary
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
1 entriesTranslations
33 translations across 22 languages.
Armenian
2 entries- Ինգլիշ name (transliterations of the surname)
- անգլերեն noun (specific language or wording)
Asturian
1 entries- inglés adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Bulgarian
1 entries- англи́йски adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 英国人的 adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Esperanto
3 entries- angla adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
- anglina adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
- virangla adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Finnish
4 entries- englantilainen adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
- englanti name (English dialect)
- englannin kieli noun (specific language or wording)
- englanti noun (specific language or wording)
Hungarian
1 entries- angol adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Icelandic
1 entries- enskur adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Indonesian
1 entries- inggristis name (English dialect)
Irish
1 entries- Sasanach adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Korean
2 entries- 영국(英國) 사람의 adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
- 영국인(英國人)의 adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Latvian
2 entries- anglisks adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
- angļu adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Lithuanian
1 entries- angliškas adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Marathi
1 entries- इंग्लिश name (transliterations of the surname)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- engelsk adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- engelsk adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Romanian
1 entries- englez adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Russian
2 entries- англи́йский adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
- И́нглиш name (transliterations of the surname)
Swedish
1 entries- engelska noun (specific language or wording)
Tamil
1 entries- ஆங்கிலேய adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Unami
1 entries- Inklìshi adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Volapük
3 entries- Linglänanik adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
- hi-Linglänanik adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
- ji-Linglänanik adj (of or pertaining to an Englishman, Englishwoman, the English)
Sample sentences
43 total sentences available.
It took me more than two hours to translate a few pages of English.
Source: tatoeba (1617)
You have to learn standard English.
Source: tatoeba (9588)
You had better study English thoroughly.
Source: tatoeba (15886)
Showing 4 of 43 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "english"?
Closest matches include abnaki, afghan, afghani, afrikaans, ainu.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "english"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.