The Official Languages Quiz turns a world map’s worth of trivia into a fast, mobile game. See a country, then name the language its government actually runs on, from Spanish and Arabic to Swahili, Malagasy and Tuvaluan. Every one of the 194 UN member countries is in the pool.
It is built for the way people actually guess. Easy mode is multiple choice, medium gives you a first-letter hint, and hard asks you to type the language name or its ISO code. Get a run going and the streak multiplier rewards you, and a wrong answer always shows the right one so you learn as you play.
There is a new Daily Challenge every day, the same ten countries for everyone, with a shareable result grid and a running streak. Prefer to browse first? Learn mode is a searchable library of every country and its languages, plus a Shared Languages panel that shows how a few languages, like English, French and Arabic, are official across dozens of countries at once.
Play the Official Languages Quiz
How to play
- Country to Language. See a country’s flag and name, then pick its main official language. Choose easy multiple choice, a medium first-letter hint, or hard typed answers.
- Language to Country. See a language and pick the country that uses it. This mode only asks about languages official in a single country, so there is always one clear answer.
- Speed Run. Race the clock and name as many languages as you can before time runs out.
- Daily Challenge. Ten set countries a day, shared by everyone, with a shareable emoji grid and a day streak.
- Learn mode. Search any country to see its languages, or explore the Shared Languages families.
How many official languages are there?
There is no single tally, because countries define official status in different ways, but the quiz covers the main official language of all 194 UN member countries. A small number of languages carry most of the map. English is the main official language in more countries than any other, followed by Arabic, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
Plenty of countries have more than one. Switzerland has four official languages, South Africa recognises eleven, and India uses Hindi and English at the national level alongside many state languages. The quiz asks for each country’s main official language for the multiple-choice answer, and in typed mode it accepts any of a country’s official languages.
Languages that surprise people
Brazil is the odd one out in South America, with Portuguese rather than Spanish as its official language. Suriname’s official language is also Dutch. Namibia’s sole official language is English, even though very few Namibians speak it at home. The Philippines pairs Filipino with English, and Singapore has four official languages. Even close neighbours diverge: Belgium runs on Dutch, French and German, while France has only French.
Where the data comes from
Language and country data come from the open mledoze/countries dataset (ODbL), which lists each country’s official languages keyed by their ISO 639-3 code. Because that dataset stores the languages alphabetically rather than by importance, the quiz uses a reviewed table to choose each country’s main official language, and the pick for every multilingual country is documented in the project. Flags are public domain. The quiz runs entirely in your browser, with nothing to install and no sign-up.
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Official Languages Quiz FAQ
Is English really the most common official language?
Yes. English is an official or co-official language in more countries than any other, largely a legacy of the British Empire and its role as a common administrative language. Arabic, Spanish, French and Portuguese follow.
How does the quiz handle countries with several official languages?
It asks for each country’s main official language in the multiple-choice answer, but the typed mode accepts any of the country’s official languages. Learn mode lists all of them for every country.
Are these the languages people actually speak?
Not always. Official status is a legal designation, so a country’s official language is not always its most widely spoken one. Namibia is the clearest example: English is the sole official language but is spoken at home by very few Namibians.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The quiz is designed mobile-first and works in any modern browser, with nothing to install and no account needed.
Where does the data come from?
The open mledoze/countries dataset (ODbL), with each country’s official languages keyed by ISO 639-3 code. Flags are public domain.