Random Language
Draw a random official or national language from the 193 UN member states' own data, and see every country in the dataset that lists it as one of its own.
Press Generate to draw a language spoken officially somewhere among the 193 UN member states.
The five most widely shared languages
Computed live from the same 193-country dataset every page on this site shares, by how many countries list each language as official or national:
- 1. English -- 59 countries: 🇦🇬 🇦🇺 🇧🇸 🇧🇧 🇧🇿 🇧🇼 🇨🇲 🇨🇦 and 51 more
- 2. French -- 31 countries: 🇧🇪 🇧🇯 🇧🇫 🇧🇮 🇨🇲 🇨🇦 🇨🇫 🇹🇩 and 23 more
- 3. Arabic -- 24 countries: 🇩🇿 🇧🇭 🇹🇩 🇰🇲 🇩🇯 🇪🇬 🇪🇷 🇮🇶 and 16 more
- 4. Spanish -- 21 countries: 🇦🇷 🇧🇿 🇧🇴 🇨🇱 🇨🇴 🇨🇷 🇨🇺 🇩🇴 and 13 more
- 5. Portuguese -- 9 countries: 🇦🇴 🇧🇷 🇨🇻 🇬🇶 🇬🇼 🇲🇿 🇵🇹 🇸🇹 and 1 more
How the draw works
Every distinct language name across the 193-country pool is collected into one flat list of 140 entries, then a single random integer (crypto-secure, unbiased rejection sampling, the same engine every tool on this site shares) picks one index into that list. Because the draw is over the list of distinct languages -- not over countries -- a language spoken by only one country has exactly the same chance of being drawn as one spoken officially by dozens.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many distinct languages are in this pool?
140, computed live from the languages field of all 193 UN member states -- every distinct name that field lists across every country, counted once regardless of how many countries share it.
What does "official or national" mean here?
The underlying dataset records each country's officially designated languages as reported by that country -- which can mean a sole official language, several co-official languages, or a broader "national language" designation depending on the country's own constitution or law. This tool doesn't distinguish between those legal categories; it lists whatever the source records for each country's languages field.
Which language is spoken officially in the most countries?
English, official in 59 of the 193 UN member states in this dataset -- followed by French (31), Arabic (24), Spanish (21).
Are most languages here spoken in just one country?
Yes -- 106 of the 140 languages in this pool are the official language of exactly one UN member state. A draw is equally likely to land on any of the 140 languages, not weighted by how many countries speak it, so a single-country language like most of these has the same 1-in-140 chance as English or French.
Why might a country I know speak a language seem missing?
This tool only lists what the underlying dataset's languages field records for each country -- widely spoken but not officially designated languages (for example, a language used in business or media without formal official status) won't appear here even if it's common in daily life. See the About page for the exact source.
Every result here is drawn live in your browser with cryptographically-secure randomness -- nothing is predetermined, saved, or replayable. See the Terms.