Over 97% of the United Kingdom (UK) population speaks English, which makes sense as the English language originated in this part of the world. But that number doesn’t reveal the many historical languages that influenced the modern English language—and how many of those languages are still spoken in the UK today.
So what languages do they speak in the UK, and are they different in the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland)? Learn all about which regions primarily speak English, whether it’s the United Kingdom’s official language, and where other United Kingdom languages are spoken.
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What is the official language of the United Kingdom?
Currently, there is no United Kingdom official language. English is the de facto (commonly spoken) language used for official purposes and daily conversations, but the UK itself does not list English as its official language.
However, some of the UK’s constituent countries do list official languages, including:
| UK Country | Official Language* |
| England | None |
| Northern Ireland | English |
| Scotland | English, Scottish Gaelic |
| Wales | English, Welsh |
*data from britannica.com
How many languages are spoken in the United Kingdom?
Besides English, there are hundreds of other languages spoken in the United Kingdom (with more than 300 languages spoken in England alone). These languages include English, a variety of native Celtic and Germanic languages, and a large number of languages spoken by immigrant communities throughout the United Kingdom.
So what languages do they speak in England? Commonly spoken United Kingdom languages include:
- Arabic
- Bengali
- British Sign Language
- Cornish
- English
- French
- Greek
- Irish
- Italian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Punjabi
- Romanian
- Scots
- Scottish Gaelic
- Spanish
- Turkish
- Ulster Scots
- Urdu
- Welsh
Most spoken languages in the United Kingdom
Although English is by far the most widely spoken language in the UK, it’s not the only language you’re likely to hear when visiting this region. Take a look at United Kingdom languages commonly spoken by the population of nearly 70 million UK residents throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
English
Over 67 million people in the United Kingdom speak English, which is over 97% of the total UK population. Originally the roots of the English language came from England thousands of years ago, beginning with native Celtic languages and influenced by Latin, French, and Anglo-Saxon Germanic languages.
Modern English traveled the world due to British colonialism and exploration in the 15th-17th centuries. Today, England’s language is the most commonly spoken language in the world in 188 countries around the world, circling the globe all the way back to the United Kingdom.
Scots
There are more than 1.5 million Scots speakers in Scotland, which is around 27% of Scotland’s total population (5.5 million) and 2% of the total UK population.
Scots is a Germanic language descended from Middle English, the form of English that followed from Old English. It’s similar to Scottish English, the Scottish dialect of English, but the number of vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and pronunciation differences make the two languages distinct from each other.
Welsh
Around 900,000 people speak Welsh (Cymraeg), which is nearly 30% of the total population of Wales (3 million) and 1.2% of the total UK population.
Welsh is a Celtic language similar to Breton and Cornish, two critically endangered languages, and is not mutually intelligible with English despite both being Great Britain languages.
Regional languages spoken in the United Kingdom
These three United Kingdom languages aren’t the only languages spoken in this region. While additional regional languages have fewer speakers than English, Scots, and Welsh, they still exist in the UK and are spoken in everyday life.
Scottish Gaelic
Around 57,000 people in Scotland speak Scottish Gaelic (Scotland Census, 2025), around 1% of the Scottish population and 0.08% of the total UK population.
Despite their similar names, Scottish Gaelic and Scots are very different languages, as Scots is a Germanic language like English, and Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language like Welsh. They are not mutually intelligible.
Irish
Mainly spoken in West Belfast schools and community centers, Irish is an ancestral language of Northern Ireland. Around 228,600 residents of Northern Ireland report some understanding of Irish (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, 2021), which is around 12% of the total population of 1.8 million.
Donegal or Ulster Irish is the spoken dialect in this region (as opposed to Munster Irish or Connacht Irish spoken in the Republic of Ireland), which has a similar sound to Scottish Gaelic.
Immigrant languages
Hundreds of immigrant languages are also spoken in the United Kingdom, primarily in London, England. With over 546,000 speakers in England and Wales, the most commonly spoken immigrant language in the UK is Polish, while communities speaking Romanian, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Turkish, Italian, Greek, Angloromani, and other languages from around the world are also part of the United Kingdom linguistic community.
FAQs about the languages of the United Kingdom
With so many native and secondary English speakers, the United Kingdom may look like a monolingual country on paper—but that’s not the case. Find out how far its English influence stretches over the British Isles, and how many United Kingdom languages you should learn to prepare for a UK visit.
Is English spoken throughout the United Kingdom?
Yes, English is a commonly spoken language in all four constituent countries of the UK. While English is not the official language of the UK, it is an official language in Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Like the larger United Kingdom, England also doesn’t have an official language, but English is a widely spoken de facto language in England.
What language do they speak in London?
The primary language of London is English, just as it is in the rest of England. But London is known as an urban melting pot of cultures, populations, and languages, and you may hear hundreds of languages in a visit to this remarkable city. Polish, Arabic, Bengali, Spanish, Turkish, and Urdu are just a few of the languages spoken in London, not to mention English.
Should I learn British expressions before visiting the UK?
It may help to learn a few British words and expressions while preparing for a trip to the United Kingdom, particularly if you’re heading to England, where British English is the most common dialect of English.
American English speakers can enjoy a certain amount of linguistic comfort when visiting the United Kingdom, particularly busier or tourist-friendly areas, but learning key “Britishisms” (or British slang phrases) can help clear up misunderstandings before they begin.
These British sayings would also help if your travels lead to Wales. If you’re traveling to Northern Ireland, consider brushing up on Irish English expressions that could help you make your point more clearly, and discover how Scottish English sayings also differ from the American English phrases you’re used to.
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