Much harder than it sounds. I got 4/9. 4 of the others I never would have guessed, 1 I might have gotten.
Hmmm...the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia,... Nigeria? New Zealand? Mexico? Panama? Florida? Blood Island? :question:
Out of of the Top 9... I got 3. Huh. Not what I expected. :buggedout:
Correct so far:
US
UK
Nigeria (I never would have got that one)
I also guessed Canada and Australia. Surprised neither made it (especially Canada).
Can anyone get the next 6 without cheating?
Anyone
Is South Africa on the list?
This doesn't specify whether the question is about native speakers or just number of people speaking English, so raw guesswork:
The United States
Nigeria
China
India
United Kingdom
Canada
Germany
South Africa
Kenya
Trevor: No, South Africa did not make it.
ER: It's total number of English speakers, not first language. You got US, Nigeria, India, UK, and Germany.
So the correct ones so far are
US
UK
Nigeria
India
Germany
Of the remaining 4, I think there's one people could reasonably figure out and 3 that are complete surprises to me.
Quote from: Rev. Powell on November 03, 2025, 09:06:21 AMTrevor: No, South Africa did not make it.
😭😭
Actually I'm not really surprised 😉😉😉🐢
Too many hints might give the last 4 away, but think about former colonies or protectorates with large populations.
ok I've only read the thread title and Rev's post, no other replies...
my guesses:
America
Canada
England
Australia
South Africa
China
Japan
Brazil
Russia
edit, now that I've read the other replies, 'UK' is not a country, it's a collection of countries...
if UK counts then I'm changing one of my answers to 'Europe' :teddyr:
Quote from: zombie no.one on November 03, 2025, 11:07:10 AMok I've only read the thread title and Rev's post, no other replies...
my guesses:
America
Canada
England
Australia
South Africa
China
Japan
Brazil
Russia
edit, now that I've read the other replies, 'UK' is not a country, it's a collection of countries...
if UK counts then I'm changing one of my answers to 'Europe' :teddyr:
US is technically the only ones that's correct. We'll give you "England," though (actually UK, which is a country according to the UN!).
Quote from: RCMerchant on November 02, 2025, 05:26:53 PMHmmm...the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia,... Nigeria? New Zealand? Mexico? Panama? Florida? Blood Island? :question:
Blood Island 😳😀😃😄😂😅
Belize
Greenland
Based on rumors, of course...
Nope, neither.
Quote from: Rev. Powell on November 03, 2025, 12:00:52 PMUS is technically the only ones that's correct. We'll give you "England," though (actually UK, which is a country according to the UN!).
weird... so I am from the UK - a country comprised of 4 countries, 2 of which I have never been to :bouncegiggle:
Quote from: zombie no.one on November 04, 2025, 04:14:15 AMQuote from: Rev. Powell on November 03, 2025, 12:00:52 PMUS is technically the only ones that's correct. We'll give you "England," though (actually UK, which is a country according to the UN!).
weird... so I am from the UK - a country comprised of 4 countries, 2 of which I have never been to :bouncegiggle:
One thing that used to get me a whiplash-fast stare as a kid visiting my mom's people in Ireland was to slip up and say, "The British isles." It would get a patient explanation from my grandfather that people who said that traditionally did not mean the little islands around Britain, but Ireland included, something the Irish always took a grim view on. Oddly Scots also tend dislike being called British. And don't even begin to go there with the Welsh. I think we live in an age of disunity and localized sentiments.
And, oh, yeah, this may be a wild stab in the dark, but I once heard English is mandatory for all students in Jakarta, so, is Indonesia one of the nine countries? Big population, that I much I know.
The UK is weird, for sure. Usually here in the US, when we say England, Britain, or the UK, we mean the same thing. (Yes, I know they're all technically different.)
Philippines? Former protectorate and high population made me guess that one.
Also I'm a little curious the standard for "english speaker". A B1 by the CEFR ratings, B2? I assume they mean spoken ability too, not reading/writing. Japan for example has a very low percentage of speakers of English, but a notably higher ability to read/write (though they still won't make the list, I'm quite confident).
Indonesia is one. (A big surprise to me. I think a large part of it is the tourism industry; lots of Australians go there.)
Philippines is one.
I don't know the exact standard used by the list I saw.
So the correct ones so far are
US
UK
Nigeria
India
Germany
Indonesia
Philippines
Two left. I never would have guessed either, although after I heard one of them, I figured out why they had a large number of English speakers, and also immediately realized why I'd overlooked them. A hint might give it away, though.
I would take a wild stab in the dark at Egypt being one of them.
Egypt is indeed one! A clue for the last one: I overlooked it because it's a newer country. If you think about what country it split from, you should get it.
Pakistan?
Quote from: Alex on November 13, 2025, 04:32:27 PMPakistan?
Exactly! Slipped my mind that it was once part of India.
Interesting. I wouldn't have guessed like, any of them. Besides, obviously, the US/UK.
I'd have guessed Finland but only cause a few bands I like came from there, but granted a few bands don't necessarily equal a whole population.