← Word Cousins · Lesson 1 of 3
One root, many languages
English night, German Nacht, Spanish noche, French nuit and Italian notte look alike because they are related. They all descend from one very old word, reconstructed by linguists from the patterns in its descendants.
Words with a shared ancestor are called cognates. Finding them is a quick way into a new language: you may already know more of its words than you think.
Why do night, noche and nuit look alike?
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