Reference pages built from structural data on 248 languages. Every claim traces back to the data, and the method and its limits are stated on each page.
219 languages scored on structural distance from English — writing system, family and word order — with the data behind every score.
22 writing systems, the languages that use each, reading direction, and what changes when you translate across scripts.
20 families with their member languages and combined reach — and why relatedness predicts translation quality.
Answers to the questions people actually ask about pairs of languages that are often confused for one another.
Are Hindi and Urdu the same language?
How similar are Spanish and Portuguese?
Are Japanese and Chinese related?
Is Persian a kind of Arabic?
What is the difference between Indonesian and Malay?
Can Norwegians and Swedes understand each other?
Are Cantonese and Mandarin different languages?
How close are Dutch and German?
Are Korean and Japanese similar?
These are reference pages rather than a blog — they are maintained as the underlying data improves, not published on a schedule.