English is the official language or has special status in over 70 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is also one of the official languages of international organizations like the United Nations and the European Union.
There are about 375 million native English speakers. English is the most widely spoken second language, with approximately 1.5 billion people using it globally.

English is often referred to as the “global lingua franca” because it is the dominant or official language in many countries and is widely used in international communication, business, science, technology, and aviation. William Shakespeare, one of the most famous English playwrights, is credited with coining or popularizing many English words and phrases still in use today, such as “eyeball,” “fashionable,” and “break the ice.”