5 Old English words and their modern translations

English is an old language that has changed a lot over time. New words are created daily, and old words fall out of fashion, become forgotten, or their meanings evolve.

Although many forgotten Old English words are now rarely used in daily conversation, they still have the power to add a certain historical flavour to historic and fantasy novels. As such, it’s highly likely that you will recognise at least some Old English words from this list!

The underlined words below are all examples of old English. We still use these words today, though we say and write them differently.

Old English

When I was young, I lived in a small hus with my little sweostor and my older brodor. My faeder was called Mark and my modor was called Doris.

 Modern English

When I was young, I lived in a small house with my little sister and my older brother. My father was called Mark, and my mother was called Doris.

Here are some more Old English words that are no longer in everyday use.. Can you guess their modern day translations?

Hark! Can you hear that?

Let’s go back whence we came to see if we can find the right path.

Good night! I’ll see you on the morrow.

It’s a good film, verily. You should see it.

Good bye! I’ll see you anon.

Although many old English words are rarely used in modern day contexts, they do demonstrate how flexible languages are. Modern substitutes should be used in day-to-day writing, conversations, and in English language assessments like the Oxford Test of English. But that shouldn’t stop you slipping an Old English word into conversation with a friend, see if they notice and pick you up on it!

Have you come across any other Old English words? Share them below in the comments! 

Want to revise English compound nouns? See if you can identify all 10 listed here, we’ve left some clues to get you started. Don’t forget to leave a comment with your score!