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Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

by Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

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Latest episodes

You speak more Ancient Greek than you think | GREEK WORDS IN ENGLISH

October 21, 2026 · 44 min

English is enriched with a plethora of words from Ancient Greek, whether they were pilfered straight from source, or absorbed via Latin, French or Arabic. In this episode, Rob and Jess investigate just how many there are. 🪐 What do cosmos…
Denny's used to be called Danny's | BRAND NAME ORIGINS

October 14, 2026 · 44 min

Rob and Jess are investigating how some of the world's biggest brands got their names.📸 Does KODAK mean anything?🍟 Which Wendy is Wendy's named after?🍗 Does Popeyes have anything do with Popeye the Sailor?🍔 What was the Big Mac nearly…
Who is Sydney named after? | CITY NAME ORIGINS

October 7, 2026 · 44 min

Let's explore city names in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and beyond in another etymological journey around the world. 🇦🇺 Is Darwin really named after Charles?🇨🇦 Is Ontario named after the lake or vice versa?🇹🇷 Which Turkish city…
How to read hieroglyphs | ANCIENT WRITING

September 30, 2026 · 42 min

Rob and Jess are exploring the writing systems of the ancient world.𓀀 How do hieroglyphs work?✍️ When did writing first begin?🫆 And how did we solve the mystery of Linear B?For these answers, and many more, enjoy this gloriously outdated…
What's the French for "raining cats and dogs"? | WORLD IDIOMS

September 23, 2026 · 41 min

Let's explore some funny sayings from around the world. In this episode, Rob and Jess discover other languages' equivalents of phrases like "raining cats and dogs", "cost an arm and a leg" and "one sandwich short of a picnic". Discover…

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100 quick-fire word facts | 100th EPISODE

September 16, 2026 · 59 min

Rob and Jess are celebrating 100 episodes of Words Unravelled by sharing their top 100 wordy nerdy facts. 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/1PM_iwxAyb8 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP…
Which German terms are in the English zeitgeist? | GERMAN WORDS

August 26, 2026 · 49 min

Willkommen! Jess and Rob are exploring the German words in English. In this Zeitgeisty episode, discover: 👻 What doppelgänger literally means,📏 The longest German word,🤧 And why Americans say "Gesundheit!" when they sneeze. Satisfy…
Why is English full of Latin? | LATIN WORDS

August 19, 2026 · 41 min

You speak more Latin than you think. Not only are the many French words in English derived from Latin, but almost 30% of our vocabulary comes directly from the language of the Romans. In this episode, Rob and Jess explore how those words…
Are sharks named after people? | OCEAN WORDS

August 12, 2026 · 52 min

Rob and Jess are taking the deepest of dives into the origins of words from the ocean.🐟 Are many fish 'fish' or 'fishes'?🦈 Why is there a mystery around sharks?🐠 What is a sarcastic fringehead?These questions answered, and many more, in…
Does 'Abracadabra' mean anything? | MAGIC WORDS

August 5, 2026 · 48 min

Take a pinch of witchcraft, add a touch of sorcery, and "Hey presto!" you have a wordy nerdy episode about magical terms. 🧙 Can only women be witches?🔒 What did a warlock originally do?🪄 What is the literal meaning of 'Alakazam'? These…
What's so great about 'seventh' heaven? | NUMBER IDIOMS

July 29, 2026 · 50 min

We're exploring the origins of common sayings relating to numbers in this episode. 🥉 Why is the third time a charm?⛅️ What's so great about "seventh heaven"?🙃 Why do we say "at sixes and sevens"? Rob and Jess explore these numerical…
Words the Vikings left behind | OLD NORSE

July 22, 2026 · 42 min

What did the Vikings do for us? Rob and Jess are exploring the words left behind by the Scandinavian invaders. 🪓 How much of English is Old Norse?🗺️ Which place names are inherited from "the Danes"?📝 How did the Norsemen change English…

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About the show

Jess Zafarris and Rob Watts unravel the stories behind everyday words. Want to watch our episodes too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8R3ZnESMdsuTevq4ib9CvA