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English and Danish are so close that you could almost stumble across the vague division between the two. So close, in fact, that we can almost hear each other speak; the more so the further north in England and Scotland you go.

As I go through daily work and life, I’m compiling a list of words in English and Danish that have the same roots, mostly from Old Norse and Old German. Meanings have shifted down the centuries, but at times they’re so close you need do nothing else but say it aloud with a keen ear (I and jeg, for example). Linguists tell us there are at least a thousand basic English words in common with Danish in this marvel of spoken proximity.

Yet, for comprehension, the languages are mutually unintelligible and will require translation.

Please find under the 🇬🇧 drop down menu a few extracts of the Blog of Ten Thousand Things. I will add more translations from time to time. You’re always welcome back.

3. January 2026