Pig Latin facts for kids

Pig Latin is a fun language code or game that many children who speak English like to use. It's not a real language you learn in school, but a playful way to change English words. It's like a puzzle for your words!

What is Pig Latin?

Pig Latin is a special code or game that changes how English words sound. It's often used by kids to have fun or to say things that adults might not understand right away. It's not a true language, but a playful way to scramble words.

How to Speak Pig Latin

Learning Pig Latin is quite simple! There are just a few easy rules to follow, depending on how a word begins. Let's look at them.

Words Starting with Consonants

If a word starts with a consonant (like 'b', 'c', 'd', 'f', etc.), you take that first consonant (or group of consonants) and move it to the end of the word. Then, you add "ay" to the very end.

• For example, the word "pig" starts with 'p'. You move 'p' to the end and add "ay", making it "igpay".
• The word "latin" starts with 'l'. Move 'l' to the end and add "ay", making it "atinlay".
• If a word starts with two consonants, like "street", you move both 'st' to the end. So "street" becomes "eetstray".

Words Starting with Vowels

If a word starts with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), it's even easier! You simply add "ay" to the end of the word.

• For example, the word "apple" starts with 'a'. You just add "ay", making it "appleay".
• The word "eat" starts with 'e'. Add "ay" to get "eatay".

Examples in Action

Let's see how a whole sentence looks in Pig Latin.

The sentence: "This is an example of Pig Latin. As you can see, it is silly, but lots of fun for children."

Becomes: "Is-thay is-ay an-ay example-ay of-ay Ig-pay Atin-lay. As-ay ou-yay an-cay ee-say, it-ay is-ay illy-say, ut-bay ots-lay of-ay un-fay or-fay ildren-chay."

Sometimes, people write Pig Latin with dashes between the changed part of the word and the "ay" ending. Other times, they don't use dashes at all. Both ways are correct!

Other Ways to Play

In the British English-speaking world, Pig Latin is sometimes called "backslang". It's another name for this fun word game.

See also

In Spanish: Pig Latin para niños