Why learn English? 7 reasons, with the numbers behind them
English is not everyone’s mother tongue — it is the language people choose when they do not share one. This guide gives seven reasons to learn it, each with a number you can check at its source, then a simple way to start: find your level and learn 16 words a day.
Updated · 5 min read
English in five numbers
About 1.5 billion people speak English, and over 390 million of them as their native language, according to Britannica. Do the subtraction and you see what makes English unusual: roughly three out of four people who speak it learned it. As a learner, you are not an outsider — you are in the majority.
| Where | The number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers worldwide | about 1.5 billion, over 390 million native | Britannica |
| Websites | 49.5% of sites whose language is known (November 2026) | W3Techs |
| EU schools | 97.6% of lower-secondary pupils learnt English in 2024 | Eurostat |
| United Nations | one of six official languages | UN |
| Ships | the IMO’s standard safety phrases are built on English | IMO |
1. It is the language people use across borders
Britannica calls English the first choice of foreign language in most countries of the world — which is exactly what made it a global lingua franca. When a Turkish engineer meets a Brazilian client, or a Moroccan nurse talks to a Dutch patient, English is usually the language they try first. Learning it gives you one language for many countries; our guide Where is English spoken? shows them on a map.
2. Half of the web is written in it
In November 2026, W3Techs found English on 49.5% of the websites whose content language it could identify. The next languages are far behind: Spanish 6.1%, German 5.9%, Japanese 4.9%, French 4.6%, Portuguese 4.1% — Turkish 1.6%, Arabic 0.6%. For many subjects, the most complete manual, course or forum thread is in English. Reading English turns the web from a shelf into a library.
3. Ships and planes run on it
At sea, the International Maritime Organization adopted its Standard Marine Communication Phrases in November 2001 (resolution A.918(22)). They are built on basic English, because English was agreed as the common language for navigation where language difficulties arise — and under the STCW convention, officers in charge of a navigational watch on ships of 500 gross tonnage or more must be able to understand and use them.
In the air, ICAO runs language proficiency requirements for pilots and air-traffic controllers; its Assembly adopted Resolution A38/8 in 2013 on proficiency in the English used for radio communications. If you want to work at sea, in aviation or around ports and airports, English is part of the job.
4. International organisations work in it
The United Nations has six official languages — Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish — and delegates may speak any of them. Yet the UN itself has had to ask for an end to “the disparity between the use of English and the use of the other five”: inside large organisations, English is the language used most. The IMO, for example, works in English, French and Spanish.
5. Classmates and colleagues already learned it
In 2024, according to Eurostat, 82.5% of primary pupils in the EU were learning English, 97.6% in lower-secondary school and 89.4% in upper-secondary (96.3% in general programmes, 81.1% in vocational ones). The people you will study or work with in Europe very likely have school English — your English is what connects you to them.
6. It opens study and job options
If a course, a job or a scholarship you want asks for English, look for the level it names — a CEFR level (A1 to C2) or a test score — and measure yourself against it: the free English level test gives an estimate from A1 to B2 in about eight minutes.
7. It is easier than its reputation
English grammar has few endings. Adjectives never change — the tall man, the tall woman, where Spanish says el hombre alto, la mujer alta — and a verb like ride has only five forms (ride, rides, rode, riding, ridden); German reiten has 16, according to Britannica. The hard parts are elsewhere: spelling that no longer matches the sounds, and many irregular verbs. Our guides on English grammar basics, English tenses and the history of English explain both.
First step: take the free English level test — 24 questions, no sign-up. Under “I speak”, choose your own language and the questions come in it.
How to start this week
- Find your level with the level test, so you start with words you do not know yet.
- Learn 16 words a day — about five minutes of active recall and spaced repetition, every day rather than once a week.
- Learn the grammar core once: the ten rules in English grammar basics and the six tenses in English tenses explained.
- Read something you like in English every day — a news site, a recipe, the manual of your phone.
- Speak early. A short conversation each week shows you which words you still miss.
Learn your first 16 English words today
16Word gives you 16 words a day with active recall, spaced repetition and a short Blocks game between answers — about five minutes, free to start.
Keep learning
- A short history of English — from Old English to a world language, with maps
- Where is English spoken? — countries, speakers and official status
- English grammar basics — the 10 rules that matter most
- English tenses explained — all 12 forms in one table
- Free level tests in 36 languages
- Do you speak Turkish or Arabic? English words by topic with meanings: in Turkish · in Arabic
- All 16Word guides · Plans and prices
Frequently asked questions
How many people speak English?
About 1.5 billion people worldwide, over 390 million of them as their native language, according to Britannica. Most English speakers therefore learned it as another language.
Why is English an international language?
Because it is the first choice of foreign language in most countries, Britannica explains, which made it a global lingua franca. It is also one of the UN’s six official languages and the basis of the standard safety phrases used at sea.
How much of the internet is in English?
In November 2026, W3Techs found English on 49.5% of the websites whose content language it could identify. Spanish came second with 6.1%.
Do pilots and sailors have to speak English?
At sea, the IMO’s Standard Marine Communication Phrases are built on English, and officers in charge of a navigational watch on ships of 500 gross tonnage or more must understand and use them. In aviation, ICAO sets language proficiency requirements and adopted a resolution in 2013 on proficiency in the English used for radio communications.
Is English hard to learn?
Its grammar has few endings — adjectives never change and most verbs have few forms. The harder parts are spelling, which no longer matches the sounds, and irregular verbs. Our guides on grammar basics and tenses explain both step by step.
Where should I start?
Take the free English level test (24 questions, no sign-up), then learn 16 words a day at your level and the ten grammar rules in our grammar guide.
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