English sure is an odd language, full of strange things that really don’t make sense—words don’t always follow logical rules & meanings change in unexpected ways. Even the most everyday words surprise us and make the language feel inconsistent. Here are eleven times the English language just doesn’t make sense. If you’re a native speaker, you should be grateful that you never had to learn English as a second language!
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The Word “Cleave” Means to Split and to Cling
The word “cleave” has two opposite meanings in English as it means to split or separate something—such as “to cleave wood” with an axe. But at the same time, it also means sticking to something firmly or clinging to it, as in “cleave to your principles.” How is it that a single word has completely contradictory definitions, depending entirely on the context?!
“Dust” Means to Remove and to Apply Dust
Likewise, “dust” also means to both remove dust and apply it—when you “dust the shelves,” you clean them by removing dust. But when you “dust a cake with sugar,” you’re adding a fine layer of sugar on top, showing that the word describes two opposing actions. You need context for the word to make sense, which is clear proof of just how weird our language is.
The Plural of “Fish” Can Be “Fish” or “Fishes”
“Fish” is a word that works as both the singular and plural form when you’re talking about multiple fish of the same species—that fact alone is quite confusing. However, when you’re talking about different species, you use “fishes,” such as “the fishes of the coral reef.” It sounds bizarre but it’s completely true and such irregular pluralization really is quite puzzling!
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“Overlook” and “Oversee” Are Opposites
The words “overlook” and “oversee” sound like they should talk about the same thing but they actually have opposite meanings because “Overlook” means to fail to notice something. Yet “oversee” means to supervise or watch over something carefully—even though the words are structurally very similar to each other. To “look” and “see” something should mean the same thing!
“Inflammable” and “Flammable” Mean the Same Thing
You may not have ever thought about it but both “inflammable” & “flammable” mean that something may catch fire easily. Unlike most words, the “in-” prefix doesn’t make the word into a negative like it does in words like “inactive.” Instead, “inflammable” comes from the Latin “inflammare,” meaning “to set on fire,” so both “inflammable” and “flammable” have the same definition.
The Pronunciation of “Colonel” Doesn’t Match Its Spelling
We pronounce “colonel” as “kernel”—even though there’s no “r” in the spelling and we should, technically, pronounce it as “kol-o-nell.” The word’s weird pronunciation comes from the word’s history, as it comes from the French “colonel” & the Italian “colonnello.” We blend these together to make the word’s current pronunciation that doesn’t match the spelling and it’s one of the strangest words in English!
“Sanction” Can Mean to Approve and to Punish
The word “sanction” is another word with two opposing definitions because when you use it in sentences like “the committee sanctioned the event,” it means to permit or give official approval. But when you use it like, “the sanctions against the country were enforced,” it means to penalize or punish someone. It’s just another English word that has contradictory meanings!
Silent Letters Like the “K” in “Knight”
Many English words contain silent letters that have no reason to be there since we don’t pronounce them—for example, in “knight” & “knot,” the “k” at the beginning is silent. You might ask yourself what the point is and it’s because these silent letters come from earlier forms of the language. In the past, we actually pronounced the “k” in “knight” but now, it’s just there for the spelling.
The Word “Set” Has Multiple Definitions
“Set” is a word with an strangely large number of meanings—the Oxford English Dictionary lists over 400 senses for it! The word means to place something, as in “set the book down” or to refer to a collection, like “a set of dishes,” and that’s just a few of the meanings! As such, it’s one of the most versatile words in English & a sign of how weird our language is.
“Bimonthly” Can Mean Twice a Month or Every Two Months
“Bimonthly” is yet another confusing word because, somehow, it means an event happens every two months—but also that the event happens twice a month. For example, if someone says their magazine is published bimonthly, are they releasing it six times a year or twenty-four times a year? Some people have started using “semimonthly” to mean twice a month & avoid the confusion.
The Plural of “Moose” Is “Moose,” Not “Meese”
While the plural of “goose” is “geese,” the plural of “moose” remains “moose” because English rarely plays by consistent rules—and this is a prime example. It’s the same with “mouse” and “house” because the plural of “mouse” is “mice.” So, you’d think the plural of “house” would be “hice,” but no—it’s “houses.” Where’s the logic in all of this nonsense?!
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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