Crack the Secret Code: Binary for beginners

Can you crack the secret code? 01101100 01100101 01110100 00100111 01110011 00100000 01100111 01101111 00100001. Take a short break from the horrors of the world to learn binary!

Read on to find out how it’s done.

Nouveau, neuf, nouvelle nouvel? How to say “new” in French

English: Brand new, new. French: Neuf, neufs, neuve, neuves, nouveau, nouvel, nouveaux, nouvelle, nouvelles. Oh, and one of those also means “nine,” and two of them mean “news,” like, “she watches the news.” Haha, good luck!

חמש מילים בעברית שבאו מפרסית

פרסית היא שפה עתיקה ופואטית, שהשפיעה על שפות רבות לאורך ההיסטוריה, כולל עברית! למעשה, אם אתם דוברי עברית, אתם כבר יודעים יותר פרסית ממה שחשבתם. הנה כמה מילים שהגיעו אלינו מפרסית

Hebrew Slang for the Workplace

So you got a job in Israel, mazal tov! That’s very exciting for you. You’re going to hear a lot of new Hebrew slang words around the office, as well as official work phrases and jargon. It’s important to understand…

What does the name Esther mean?

Queen Esther from the Bible wasn’t really called “Esther” — or was she?

Well, firstly, yes, we know she had two names: a Hebrew one, Hadassah, and a Persian one, Esther. But the way we pronounce the Persian one, “Esther,”…

Language, Religion & Mythology

Lately I’ve been thinking about how so much of human language is based around religion. Even a casual farewell can invoke God! Check it out:

Medieval Latin had this phrase “ad Deum,” which meant, “to God.”

This gave us variations…

How to Actually Learn French

I sat down with Rachel, my favorite French teacher, to get some real actionable tips and advice on learning French. No inspirational fluff, no “just practice!” or “just start speaking!!” We discuss what to do, as well as ~how~ to…

English is Crazy #4 [Silence of the B in ‘Lambs’]

DUMB!! Also: Bomb, numb, lamb… and… doubt??

What’s up with the silent B???? And, like, we also add silent letters to the beginning of words, like the letter K?? Knife, knight, knot???

Why do we do this to ourselves??? Are…

English is Crazy #3 [What does Mrs. mean?]

Hello, nice to meet you, Murrrrrrr Smith, may I take your coat, Murrrrrr Smith? Hmm?? MURRR??

That’s how we’d sound if we pronounced “Mr.” as its own word. Kinda crazy, right?

But ever wonder why with women, we actually call…

English is Crazy #2 [History of Grammatical Gender]

“They/them as singular??? ‘Salespeople’ instead of ‘salesmen’?? Why do we have to completely neuter the language? This generation is ruining English!!”

Okay so if you know anything about the history of English, you’ll know how funny this is. Because English…

English is Crazy #1 [History of Spelling]

You have to write in English, but it’s not your native language. Or maybe it is your native language, but spelling just isn’t your thing.

Like, why is there an “h” in “ghost”? Why is “kernel” written as “colonel”??? What’s…