Pick a language to speakRight Arrow
Ready to learn?
Pick a language to get started!

The Language Guessing Game — New York Edition

We challenge New Yorkers to a language guessing game. Does living in a city of 800 languages give them an advantage? See how they do when we put them on the spot.
video thumbnail

Have you ever been walking down the street and overheard a language that you couldn’t recognize at all? You stop to regard the people talking in the unfamiliar tongue: are they tourists, immigrants, diplomats? Where are they from? No idea.

In a place like New York City, the most multilingual city on Earth, this kind of occurrence is commonplace. Over 800 languages are spoken here, and you can expect to hear dozens of them over the course of a day. So New Yorkers should be excellent at guessing languages, right? We hit the streets of the Lower East Side to test their skills. Check it out above!

Stop guessing and start speaking that foreign language like you've always wanted.
Matthew Youlden
Matthew Youlden hails from Manchester, England. Passionate about all things related to languages, he studied Translation and Linguistics and specialised in Sociolinguistics in Berlin and Barcelona. As Babbel's Language Ambassador, Matthew’s mission — should he choose to accept it — is to spread and share the joy of learning languages. He currently resides in Berlin.
Matthew Youlden hails from Manchester, England. Passionate about all things related to languages, he studied Translation and Linguistics and specialised in Sociolinguistics in Berlin and Barcelona. As Babbel's Language Ambassador, Matthew’s mission — should he choose to accept it — is to spread and share the joy of learning languages. He currently resides in Berlin.

Recommended Articles

Multilingual Manhattan: New York’s Multitude Of Language Communities

Multilingual Manhattan: New York’s Multitude Of Language Communities

Inspired by Matthew’s trip to Manhattan, we take a look at some multilingual and cultural niches in New York City’s boroughs!
7 Brazilian Gestures That Non-Brazilians Won’t Be Able To Guess

7 Brazilian Gestures That Non-Brazilians Won’t Be Able To Guess

Why do Brazilians use so many hand gestures? Is this an exclusively Brazilian habit? Here are 7 common Brazilian gestures that might not translate easily.
5 Ways You Miss Out When You Only Speak One Language

5 Ways You Miss Out When You Only Speak One Language

Jumpstart your love life, make mom proud, and learn how to handle snarky waiters. Knowing a second language offers more benefits than you might think.