Language & Words
Endangered Languages Quiz
Half the world's languages could vanish this century — the linguistic crisis
Half the world's languages could vanish this century — the linguistic crisis
A language dies roughly every 40 days — about 9 languages go extinct every year. Of the roughly 7,000 languages spoken on Earth, UNESCO classifies more than 40% as endangered, and linguists estimate 50–90% could be gone by 2100. This quiz tests your knowledge of revitalization success stories, last speakers, and the global effort to preserve linguistic heritage.
Each round presents 10 randomized questions from a pool of 50, with four multiple-choice options and instant feedback after every answer. Your final score comes with a performance tier and shareable results.
You'll explore Hebrew's historic revival, Cornish's resurrection from extinction, the last speakers of Eyak and Ubykh, indigenous language nests in New Zealand, the Endangered Languages Project, the UN Decade of Indigenous Languages, and how UNESCO classifies vulnerability levels.
UNESCO classifies more than 40% of the world's roughly 7,000 languages as endangered. Linguists project that between 50% and 90% of them could disappear by the end of the 21st century.
Modern Hebrew is widely considered the only fully successful revival of a dead language. Spearheaded by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda starting in 1881, it became the official language of Israel in 1948 and now has millions of native speakers.
The Rosetta Project is an effort by the Long Now Foundation to preserve over 1,500 endangered languages by micro-etching them onto a nickel disc designed to last thousands of years.
Last updated: April 2026