The English language is constantly evolving. From rizz to delulu, we acquire, combine and change words all the time.
But what about the words that have fallen out of use over the years?
Rediscovering dead words tells us a lot about our past, both in terms of social and cultural history, but also the history of the language itself. But do words really ‘die’, and how does that happen?
These truly obscure words from Old English, local dialects and even 1990s classics can teach us a lot about why words can disappear. How many can you decipher? Take our BBC Bitesize quiz and find out - good luck!
This article was published in September 2019 and updated in July 2026
