International Mother Language Day

What and when is International Mother Language Day? It’s a United Nations initiative first celebrated in 2000. It falls on 21 February each year. The day aims to make people more aware of how many living languages there are and to encourage multilingual education based on someone’s own language, the… Read More

French word of the week: en

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French word 'en'. Read More

What’s the difference between alone and lonely?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused: alone and lonely. alone If you are alone, you are not with any other people. I wanted to be alone. Lucy spends most of her time alone in the flat. Make sure that you… Read More

French word of the week: temps

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French noun 'temps'. Read More

What’s the difference between affect and effect?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused: affect and effect. affect Affect /əˈfekt/ is a verb. To affect someone or something means to cause them to change, often in a negative way. More than seven million people have been affected by… Read More
woman on ladder in front of books

9 words to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

This February, UNESCO and UN-Women celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day which aims to connect the scientific community, promote gender equality and encourage more girls to pursue STEM subjects in their education. According to UNESCO, only 35% of all students… Read More

5 tips for making long words in word games

One night in the late 1960s, the members of the British band Fairport Convention were travelling back to London after a gig. To while away the long hours on the motorway, they played a game in which each person had to add another letter to a… Read More
collinsdictionary