Did you know? English is like a traveller with a giant suitcase. For over 1,500 years it has visited people all over the world and collected their words!
🍝 Spaghetti came from Italy.
🩰 Ballet came from France.
🦧 Orangutan came from right here in our region — from Malay!
In this lesson you will become a Word Detective 🕵️ and discover the secret journeys hiding inside everyday words.
Tap Next to open the suitcase! →
More than 1,000 years ago, people in England spoke Old English. It sounds strange to us now, but many of our most everyday words come from it — words for family, food and home.
Old English words are usually short and simple: house bread water mother sun
Here is a real Old English word. Which modern word did it become?
Say it out loud — it sounds like "hoos"…
Long ago, scholars borrowed word parts from Greek and Latin. Each part has a meaning, and we snap them together like LEGO bricks!
tele = far + phone = sound
➜ telephone = sound from far away! 📞
Build a word that means: “something that lets you see far away” 🔭
English didn't only borrow from Europe. Some famous English words were born right here in Asia — from languages spoken in Singapore today!
Which language gave English this word? Tap your guess.
Clue: it means “person of the forest”.
Words hop into English whenever people meet — through trade, travel and friendship. Tap each suitcase card to reveal the word's home!
💡 Detective tip: when you meet a fancy new word, ask — “I wonder where you travelled from?” A dictionary can tell you its story!
English is still growing. One fun way we make new words is by squishing two words together. These are called blends.
breakfast + lunch ➜ brunch 🥞
Which two words squished together to make this word? Tap both!
Today you discovered that English is a great collector of words:
🇸🇬 In Singapore, we hear English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil every day — languages sharing words is happening all around you. Keep your detective ears open!
Fantastic work — you cracked the case of the travelling words! 🏆