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Etymology: How history can help us better understand English
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Etymology: How history can help us better understand English
Sound Waves Literacy 21/10/25
Why is there a ‘w’ in the word two? Why isn’t said spelled sed? Where does the word yoghurt come from?
The English we speak today evolved from the West Germanic languages spoken by the Anglo-Saxons who came to Britain around 1,500 years ago. Over time, English has been influenced by several languages including French, Latin, Greek and Indigenous Australian languages. Etymology is the study of the origins of words and how their meanings, spellings and pronunciations have changed throughout history.
Etymology can often explain the unusual or unique spellings of words in our language, which is actually more consistent than it’s given credit for.1 Take borrowed words, for example. These words have come from other languages and usually retain their original spelling conventions.
Let’s test your knowledge on the etymology of some borrowed words to uncover how history and language derivation can inform spelling.
Why is there a ‘w’ in the word two?
The ‘w’ in the word two is an etymological marker that shows its connection to the words twin, twelve and twenty.2Why isn’t said spelled sed?
Said is the past tense of say, just like paid is the past tense of pay. Paid and said used to rhyme! This is a classic example of a word’s pronunciation shifting over time but its spelling remaining the same.2Where did the word yoghurt originate from?
Yoghurt originated from the Turkish word yoğurmak, which means to thicken or curdle. We see gh for
in many borrowed words, such as ghee, dinghy, sorghum, gherkins and spaghetti! 2Where did the word kookaburra originate?
Kookaburra comes from the Wiradjuri language group and its pronunciation imitates the famous laughing call the bird makes.3Why do some words have the grapheme kn for
?
The ‘k’ and ‘n’ at the start of the Old English words knife, knock, knit and knuckle used to be pronounced as two separate phonemes
. Pronunciation has changed over the years as English speakers find pronunciation of these two phoneme at the start of the word tricky to articulate, and so have adjusted the pronunciation of kn to just 2Why is there a ‘b’ in the word debt?
Debt comes from the Latin word debitum. It was borrowed into English from French as the word dete. The ‘b’ was restored in Middle English by scribes to reflect its Latin origin, but the pronunciation didn’t change. This explains why debt and other words such as doubt and subtle have the grapheme bt for
.2Which language do the words ballet, chalet, crochet and valet come from?
Words containing the grapheme et for
usually come from French.2Which word originates from French: moose or mousse?
Mousse is the French word – key indicators are the grapheme ou for
(found in words like group, route, soup and boulevard) and sse for 
(found in words like crevasse, finesse, lacrosse and impasse). When a new word entered English (mousse) but sounded the same as an exisiting word (moose), early scribes decided to retain the spelling of both words to indicate they were different words with different meanings. Etymology can explain most homophones in English.2
If you’re using the Sound Waves Literacy online teaching resources, check out the Phoneme & Grapheme Tips in each Unit, which sometimes include etymology-based explanations. These tips can help you explain some of the more obscure phoneme–grapheme relationships you encounter during the week, and particularly come in handy during your weekly Read, Sort and Discuss part of the lesson. For example, in Unit 4 you’ll find the tip:
The grapheme ch can represent
Additionally, look out for the Focus Concept lessons labelled Word Origins in Years 5 and 6. These lessons specifically explore the etymology of words originating from languages such as Indigenous Australian languages, Turkish, Latin, French, Spanish, Dutch and more!
Psst! Exciting improvements are coming to the Sound Waves upper years program. New detailed teaching notes will be added to the phoneme–grapheme relationship lessons (Lesson 1 in each Unit). These notes will include interesting etymology-based explanations where relevant.
Reference
1. Moats, L 2020, Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers, Brookes Publishing Company.↩
2. Etymonline 2025, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com↩
3. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) 2025, https://aiatsis.gov.au↩