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The English language is a mystery to all of us, whether you’ve been speaking it since day one or just started learning it. From its bizarre spelling rules to its free-for-all grammar, it’s a daily struggle just trying to form sentences that make sense. No wonder people are turning to emojis to express their thoughts rather than coping with weird grammar rules that lead to some of the funniest English language jokes.

Unless you live in the Tibetan mountains or belong to an Amazonian tribe, you’ve definitely come across weird English words in use. It’s the most widely-studied language globally, linking countries and continents. Because of the rise of American power and influence, English has spread like wildfire across the globe through movies, music, and literature. That doesn't mean it’s a walk in the park.

Take a look at some of the most frustrating moments with this language, which will make you realize why English is so hard to learn. You don't have to look long for funny English language jokes, as they’re all there in our everyday vocabulary. Don’t forget to check out our similar posts about French and German language jokes; they might be even better than these jokes about the English language.

#1

The Many Meanings Of 'Only'

English language joke highlighting the word "only" in a sentence, illustrating humorous language nuances.

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    #2

    Weird English Language Tongue Twister

    English language joke about understanding through tough thorough thought, though.

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    Yvonne Bernal
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They should have said “I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit. Upon the slitted sheet I sit"

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    #3

    The Order Of Adjectives

    English language joke highlights native speakers' instinctive knowledge of adjective order.

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    Hans
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Never thought about it. Awesomely old straight vivid logic.

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    #4

    It’s Just English Man, It’s Just English

    Meme comparing English and French pronunciation to Italian and Spanish, highlighting English language quirks.

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    #5

    English Language Pronunciation

    English language joke questioning the pronunciation inconsistency of "womb," "tomb," and "bomb."

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    Hans
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    At least it will make "boom" if you are not careful.

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    #6

    The Odd One Out

    Pineapple with a list of languages showing the word as "ananas," highlighting a joke about the English language.

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    #7

    Same Word, Opposite Meaning

    English language joke about "chuffed" showing contradictory definitions.

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    Hans
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Well, isn't this the case with many words? Like terrific, or also awful. an aweful beach, to my understanding is one that you do not want to visit, while you definitely want to hand out on an awefully great beach. An if you hear of a terrific beach, you better ask twice. Any native speakers here to explain? Even though I am afraid this might even be different in AE and BE.

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    #8

    Same Sentence, Different Meanings

    English language joke about sentence meaning changing with stressed words.

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    #9

    The Meaning Of Goodbye

    Humorous explanation of "goodbye" origin, showcasing the quirks of the English language.

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    #10

    Words That Don't Rhyme

    English language joke about rhyme inconsistencies with words like "cough" and "pony."

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    Yvonne Bernal
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sometimes we spell it "baloney" - And baloney and money don't rhyme either (sigh)

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    #11

    English Is Weird With Its Silent Letters

    English language joke highlighting the unique pronunciation of the word "queue" as just "Q".

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    Claudia Machado
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Queue is a queue where Q is the first and the others are waiting in queue for their chance to appear.

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    #12

    Know Your A’s

    English language joke about the different pronunciations of "A" in Australia.

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    Evelim C
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Just as the word "eleven". Someone please tell Americans to choose one sound? Brasilians have to many words but at least we know how to pronnounce them. .-.

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    #13

    Correct Grammar vs Kinky Pirate

    English language grammar joke about punctuation and tone differences in phrases.

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    #14

    Why Don’t They Sound Like They’re Spelt?

    Man reacting humorously to an English language joke about confusing pronunciations.

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    Daria B
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Also: read (rid) → present tense; read (red) → past tense.

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    #17

    English Is a Funny Language

    Text post about confusing English pronunciations with humor, highlighting tear and tier, reflecting language complexities.

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    Hans
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Oh, if you still are interested in that, just find a German class nearby. The good thing is, the more weird languages you learn, you more you appreciate if you come across languages that lack the irregularities where you expected them from experience.

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    #18

    Practice Your Pronunciation

    Text highlighting English language joke on pronunciation challenges.

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    #20

    The Mind Cannot Compute

    Text post with a joke highlighting confusing English spelling and meanings, showcasing why English language can be difficult.

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    Gemma Ereza Ferrie
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is why it's so important to get kids reading books. I read each of these sentences fine, without confusion through context. Close reading is key to communication and the English language.

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    #21

    House-Spouse

    English language joke about "house-wife", "house-husband", and "house-spouse" highlighting its peculiarities.

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    Paweł Pawlicki
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If English beats up other languages in dark alleys, Polish must be Batman or some f-ing ninja. arOAPm6_70...c7e2b1.jpg arOAPm6_700b-58a30e0c7e2b1.jpg

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    #22

    Tea Tea, Bread Bread, And Many More

    English language joke about chai tea and naan bread highlighting redundancy.

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    Hans
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Same with many, many abbreviations. In many, many other languags. Alas.

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    #24

    Sounds Weird

    Joke about English pronunciation: "new direction" sounding like "nude erection."

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    #26

    English Triple Contractions

    English language joke about triple contractions: I'dn't've, it'dn't've, y'all'd've, you'dn't've.

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    Lucie Molnarova
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm learning english as my third language and this just messed me up so bad

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    #30

    Is English the Easiest Language to Learn? Doubt

    Mug with humorous English language joke about common grammar mistakes like "your" and "you're."

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    Intensive Panda
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    always wondering why even native speakers don't know the difference. Also: if you're unsure about "affect" or "effect" just use "impact" :D

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    #31

    Traditional vs Simplified

    English language humor: UK flagged as "Traditional," US flagged as "Simplified," caption mocks 1776 revolution.

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    Thor Sten
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Well, linguistically speaking: AE is an older form of English that had less influence from neighboring languages.

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    #32

    Autumn vs Fall

    English language joke comparing autumn vs fall with humorous explanation.

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    Yvonne Bernal
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I know it works GREAT with "spring ahead and fall back" - in reference to Daylight savings time reminders as to which way to set the clocks (forward or backward)

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    #33

    Grammatically Correct Sentences

    English language joke about grammatically correct sentences with Yoda nodding in agreement.

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    #34

    Goose And Geese

    Funny English language joke about goose/geese and moose/meese plurals explained.

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    Hans
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think it is amazing to see how closely many languages are intertwined. Therefore, people talking about "supremacy" of languages will often have no clue. On the other hand, other language families are quite fascinating in comparison, particularly if you consider the "efficiency" of saying something. And then, having isolated non-related languages (like Basque) are truly fascinating.

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    #36

    It Isn’t What It Is

    Meme humorously illustrating the confusion in English language with eggplant, pineapple, hamburger, and guinea pig.

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    Master Markus
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Eggplants were called that because the variety first introduced to the Europeans looked like an egg (you can see them if you look it up, they're white), pineapple was called that because it looks like a pine cone and "apple" was a generic word for "fruit", hamburger is from the "Hamburg steak" which is a kind of ground beef dish. Here are theories about the "guinea pig": http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/12/how-did-the-guinea-pig-get-its-name.html

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    #37

    I Before E

    English language joke highlighting I before E rule exceptions with humorous examples.

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    #39

    Funny English Where Everything Fits Together

    Meme about the English language with a humorous checklist of phrases and a pen on a card.

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    #41

    A Jar

    Jar Jar meme illustrating funny quirks of the English language with jars.

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    Intensive Panda
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    now enter "ajar jarjar in a jar in an ajar jar" in google translator and click on "pronounce" 🤣😂🤣

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    #43

    When English Is Not Your Native Language

    Meme illustrating why the English language can be challenging for non-native speakers with humorous depictions.

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    #44

    Literally

    Meme showing literal interpretations of English phrases with humorous images and text.

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    #46

    Pronounce Like You Spell

    English language joke about "GHOTI" being pronounced as "FISH" due to pronunciation quirks.

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    Joseph Pensak
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Gh, however, is never pronounced as F at the beginning of a word.

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    #48

    Stop This Madness

    English language joke about confusing "polish" with "Polish" and "read" with "read."

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    Thomas Hobbs
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You should read "polish" as "polish", but don't read "polish" as "Polish", or "Polish" as "polish"..

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    #49

    English is Weird

    English language joke about "can't" highlighting odd grammar nuances.

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    Your Friendly Neighbourhood Panda
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think about this too all the time! I've decided that instead of "Why can't you" being "Why can not you," it means "Why can you not," despite the basic grammar rules being weird. I guess it's just implied?

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    #51

    English Language is Contradictory

    English language joke highlighting the irony of "monosyllabic" having five syllables.

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    #52

    Aisle Be There for You

    English language joke highlighting the similar pronunciation of "aisle," "isle," and "I'll."

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    Jessica Westbrook
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That also depends on accent. I'll isn't pronunced the same as aisle and isle where I'm from on the States.

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    #53

    Brain Hurty

    Joke about English language: "had had" versus "had" in grammar test example; humorous confusion.

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    rai mei
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    it's weird cause in our language had-had means tinea cruris in medical terms. hahaha

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    #55

    One for All and All for One

    English language joke about "say" vs. "tell," humorously illustrating complexity in phrasing and meaning.

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    Christina McIsaac
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "All the faith he had had had had no effect on the outcome of his life."

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    #56

    Dedicated Rick Roll

    Joke about English language having a verb for sending Rick Astley video links, from badscienceshenanigans Tumblr post.

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    Alex Matencio
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Rickrollé in French, which is the basic way in French to appropriate an English word

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    #57

    Make It Make Sense

    English language joke with wordplay showing humorous use of homonyms and homographs in 20 examples.

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    Collin Cantrell
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Am I the only one who thought 13 had more to do with the usage of "to" vs "too" than pronouncing close?

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    #59

    Beauty in Language

    English language joke list titled "The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English" with humorous definitions.

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    Daria B
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Meh, most of these aren't even English words. Yep! I'm petty and snobby.

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    #60

    Weird English Language Nightmare

    English language joke about "y'all'd've" and confusion with contractions.

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    #61

    Preposition Problems

    English language joke about prepositions: "We say in January, on Wednesday, at 12 o'clock".

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    May Jeanette Fast
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I could be wrong but here's why I think it makes sense. January is a month, a month is a time period that contains somethings (weeks and days) so for anything that contains anything, we say it's in it. "Oh the dinner is in the fridge" For Wednesday it's a day, and many times people ask when something is happening or "when is it on?" and so you say it's "on Wednesday". The same goes for time except you say "on at" because the use of "at" when it comes to clock time is due to the use of the clock. At is used to describe where the clock hand is at.

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    #62

    Many Words With The Same Meanings

    English language joke about "I've not" and "I haven't" being the same thing, with dramatic expression.

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    #63

    English Language Meme

    Text post humorously highlighting quirks in the English language pronunciation, focusing on "salmonella."

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    #64

    Pretty Odd

    Funny English language joke about the phrase "You're pretty pretty."

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    Maeldwyn
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've been told I'm half pretty and half ugly. I guess that makes me pretty ugly.

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    #66

    Effortful English

    English language joke: "Sometimes I English very well but sometimes no," highlighting humor in language challenges.

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    #67

    It’s Confusing, Isn’t It?

    English language joke: "It's what it's" in a minimalist text post format.

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    Crystal Poe
    Community Member
    8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Nooo. I say It is what it is all the time. This one messed with me worse than all the others combined.

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    Are Jokes Based on Plays on Words Mostly an English Language Thing?

    Although there are many English language fails in this list, it also lends itself to many clever puns. But English isn’t the only language with double entendres or witticisms. Wordplay is quite common in oral cultures, whereas text-based (orthographic) puns are found in languages with or without alphabet-based scripts, such as Mandarin Chinese. In fact, in Sweden, the city of Gothenburg is well-known for its puns.

    English is frustrating and often weird, but it lends itself to beautiful wordplay and sentences that just roll off the tongue. Still, we must laugh at its crazy grammar, which can’t be replicated in any other language. Let us know in the comments if you’ve encountered any funny English fails or double meanings. We’d sure love to get a laugh out of it!