William Shakespeare is remembered as one of the greatest writers in the English language. His plays and poems have survived for more than four centuries, but his influence extends far beyond literature.

Many words and expressions associated with Shakespeare are still part of everyday English. We use terms such as bedazzled, lonely, fashionable, watchdog, critic, gloomy, and majestic without necessarily realizing how closely they are connected to Shakespeare's writing. For a broader perspective on how Shakespeare's works travel across cultures, explore our guide on Global Shakespeare: Adaptations and Reinterpretations Across Cultures.

You may have also heard the fascinating claim that Shakespeare "invented over 1,700 words." It is an impressive number—but there is an important detail behind it.

Shakespeare almost certainly did not sit down and deliberately create 1,700 brand-new words from nothing. Instead, his writing shows remarkable creativity in forming new words, combining existing terms, changing grammatical forms, and using familiar words in new ways. Because Shakespeare's works are among the most extensively studied texts from his period, later researchers have also frequently found some of the earliest surviving written examples of words traditionally attributed to him.

So, how did Shakespeare help shape modern English? Let's explore the story.

Shakespeare and the English Language

William Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616, during a period when English was changing rapidly.

English had already absorbed vocabulary from languages including French, Latin, Greek, Norse, Italian, and others. Spelling was far from standardized, dictionaries were uncommon, and writers had considerable freedom in how they used language.

This gave Shakespeare an unusually flexible linguistic environment.

He could take an existing word and turn it into a different part of speech. He could combine two familiar words to create a vivid new expression. He could add prefixes or suffixes, experiment with sentence structure, or choose an unusual metaphor that made an ordinary idea memorable.

His plays also reached a huge audience.

Shakespeare wrote for the stage, where language had to communicate character, emotion, humor, conflict, and ideas quickly. A memorable phrase could be repeated by audiences and eventually become part of wider cultural vocabulary.

This combination of creativity, popularity, and historical documentation helped give Shakespeare an enormous linguistic legacy.

Did Shakespeare Really Invent 1,700 Words?

This is where the famous claim needs some context.

You will often see statements saying that Shakespeare invented 1,700 words. Some versions give slightly different numbers.

The problem is that proving who "invented" a word is surprisingly difficult.

A word may have existed in spoken English before it appeared in a surviving written text. Shakespeare might have heard a word from another speaker and used it in his writing. A word might also have existed in another document that has since been lost.

For this reason, historians and linguists generally distinguish between inventing a word and providing the earliest surviving written evidence for a word.

Shakespeare is associated with hundreds of words and phrases because his works provide early documented examples of them. That does not necessarily mean he was the first person ever to say or write them.

This distinction doesn't make his contribution less interesting. In fact, it reveals something more fascinating: Shakespeare was extraordinarily inventive in the way he used the English language.

JCRELC Call for Papers

Words Commonly Associated With Shakespeare

Several English words are frequently cited when discussing Shakespeare's contribution to the language.

Here are some familiar examples.

1. Bedazzled

Today, bedazzled can mean dazzled, amazed, or overwhelmed. Shakespeare used the word in The Taming of the Shrew. The word is particularly memorable because the prefix "be-" was often used to create verbs in English. Shakespeare's creativity helped give the resulting word a lasting place in the language.

2. Lonely

The word lonely is another term often associated with Shakespeare. Shakespeare used it in Coriolanus, helping establish an adjective derived from "lone." Today, lonely is one of the most ordinary words in English. We use it in conversations about relationships, travel, isolation, childhood, and mental well-being. Its everyday familiarity makes its literary history easy to overlook.

3. Gloomy

Gloomy is commonly connected with Shakespeare's language. The word appears in Titus Andronicus, where it contributes to the dark atmosphere of the scene. Today, gloomy can describe weather, a room, a mood, or even a prediction about the future. That flexibility demonstrates how literary language can gradually become ordinary language.

4. Fashionable

The adjective fashionable is also traditionally associated with Shakespeare's vocabulary. Shakespeare used it in Troilus and Cressida. The basic word "fashion" was already present in English, but turning it into a descriptive adjective helped establish a form that remains extremely common. Today we might describe clothing, restaurants, technology, or lifestyles as fashionable.

5. Watchdog

The compound watchdog is often attributed to Shakespeare. The idea behind the word is straightforward: a dog that watches or guards. Shakespeare used the term metaphorically, and the word eventually developed broader meanings. Today, a watchdog can be an actual guard dog or, more commonly, a person or organization that monitors activity and looks for wrongdoing or problems.

6. Critic

The word critic has a more complicated history than some popular lists suggest. It ultimately comes from Greek and entered English before Shakespeare's time. However, Shakespeare's works helped popularize and establish many words and expressions in forms that became familiar to later English speakers. This is a good example of why saying Shakespeare "invented" every word on popular lists can be misleading. His influence often involved popularizing, transforming, or creatively using existing language, rather than creating vocabulary from scratch.

Shakespeare Didn't Need a New Word to Make Language New

One of Shakespeare's greatest linguistic strengths was his ability to make old words feel new. He frequently used words in unusual grammatical roles. A noun could become a verb. An adjective could take on a new meaning. Two familiar words could be combined into an expression that audiences had never encountered before.

This technique is actually common in modern English.

Consider how easily we turn nouns into verbs today:

  • "Google" can become "to Google."
  • "Message" can become "to message."
  • "Bookmark" can become "to bookmark."
  • "Screenshot" can become "to screenshot."

English has always been remarkably adaptable. Shakespeare simply exploited that flexibility with exceptional imagination.

Shakespeare's Famous Expressions

His influence is not limited to individual words. Many phrases associated with Shakespeare have become part of English culture.

Examples include:

  • Break the ice
  • Wild-goose chase
  • Wear my heart upon my sleeve
  • In a pickle
  • Knock, knock! Who's there?
  • Love is blind
  • The green-eyed monster
  • Good riddance
  • Foregone conclusion
  • Heart of gold

Some of these expressions may have existed in some form before Shakespeare, while others became particularly famous because of his use of them. Again, Shakespeare's importance lies not only in originality but also in his extraordinary ability to make language memorable.

Why Shakespeare's Words Survived

Creating a new word is one thing. Getting millions of people to keep using it for centuries is another.

Several factors helped Shakespeare's language survive.

His Works Were Widely Performed. Shakespeare wrote plays for performance rather than simply for private reading. His words were spoken aloud by actors and heard by audiences. That gave his language a powerful route into popular culture.

His Writing Covered Everyday Human Experiences. Shakespeare wrote about jealousy, love, ambition, fear, friendship, betrayal, family, politics, aging, death, and social status. These subjects remain relevant. As a result, his vocabulary was connected to situations that audiences could understand even when the language itself was centuries old.

His Characters Were Memorable. Shakespeare created characters such as Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo, Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Lady Macbeth. Their speeches became some of the most recognizable passages in English literature. When language is attached to memorable characters and dramatic situations, it becomes easier to remember and repeat.

His Works Became Part of Education. For generations, Shakespeare's plays have been studied in schools and universities. Students repeatedly encounter his vocabulary, metaphors, expressions, and unusual turns of phrase. That educational tradition has helped preserve his influence.

The Printing Press Also Played a Role

Shakespeare lived during the early modern period when printing was transforming the spread of written information. Printed books allowed texts to circulate much more widely than handwritten manuscripts. Shakespeare's plays were printed in various editions, culminating in the famous First Folio of 1623, published seven years after his death. The survival and reproduction of his works gave later generations an enormous body of text through which Shakespeare's language could be studied. That historical record is one reason researchers can identify so many unusual words and expressions associated with him.

Shakespeare's Most Interesting Linguistic Trick: Word Formation

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Shakespeare's vocabulary is not the number of words attributed to him. It is his understanding of how English words could be constructed.

Shakespeare could combine words in ways that immediately communicated an idea. For example, compounds such as "barefaced" and "cold-blooded" are memorable because their components help explain their meaning.

This is one reason English is so productive. Modern speakers continue doing exactly the same thing. We create terms such as:

  • smartphone
  • livestream
  • cybersecurity
  • crowdsourcing
  • screenshot
  • binge-watch
  • doomscrolling

Language constantly evolves because speakers experiment. Shakespeare was simply an exceptionally creative experimenter. This linguistic inventiveness connects with broader discussions in How Geoffrey Chaucer Influenced Modern English, which traces the earlier foundations of English literary language.

Did Shakespeare Invent "Swagger"?

Another famous example is swagger. The word is strongly associated with Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, where the character Bottom uses it. Today, swagger means a confident or self-important manner of walking, behaving, or presenting oneself. It has even become a familiar term in popular culture.

But, as with many Shakespearean "inventions," scholars have to be cautious about claiming that Shakespeare created the word from nothing. The safer conclusion is that Shakespeare provides important early evidence for its use and helped give it lasting visibility.

Why the 1,700-Word Number Became So Popular

The "1,700 words" figure is catchy because it gives Shakespeare's linguistic influence a simple measurement. But language doesn't work neatly like that.

There is no universally accepted list proving that Shakespeare independently invented exactly 1,700 words. The number has been repeated in educational material, popular articles, books, and online content, often without explaining how such a figure was calculated.

A more accurate statement is: Shakespeare is traditionally credited with introducing or popularizing hundreds of words and expressions, while many claims about his "invention" of specific words actually refer to some of the earliest surviving written evidence for those words.

That distinction makes the history more complicated—but also more interesting.

Shakespeare's Influence on Modern English

Shakespeare's influence can still be seen in modern writing and conversation. Writers continue to borrow his expressions. Advertisers reference his characters. Films adapt his plays. Musicians quote his language. Teachers introduce new generations to his vocabulary.

Even people who have never read an entire Shakespeare play may use expressions that come from his works or became famous through them. That is an extraordinary form of cultural longevity. A person who lived more than 400 years ago can still influence how people describe emotions, relationships, personalities, and situations today. For a deeper look at how Shakespeare's works are transformed across cultures, see our article on Global Shakespeare.

Shakespeare's Language Wasn't Always Easy

There is another reason his vocabulary stands out. Some of Shakespeare's words and phrases can seem strange to modern readers. English pronunciation, grammar, spelling, and vocabulary have changed considerably since the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Words that were perfectly understandable to Shakespeare's audience may require explanation today.

Yet this linguistic distance also reveals something important. Languages are never frozen. The English spoken in Shakespeare's London was different from the English spoken today. The English of the future will almost certainly be different again.

Shakespeare didn't create modern English by himself. Instead, his work became one of the most influential records of a language undergoing major change.

What Shakespeare Can Teach Us About Language

The story of Shakespeare's vocabulary offers a larger lesson about how languages develop.

New words do not always appear because someone formally decides to create them.

Sometimes a speaker uses an existing word in an unusual way. Sometimes two words are combined. Sometimes a new suffix or prefix is added. Sometimes a metaphor becomes so useful that people start using it literally.

And sometimes a talented writer puts an unusual expression into a memorable piece of literature, giving it a life far beyond its original context.

Shakespeare's writing demonstrates all of these processes.

A Few Shakespeare-Associated Words to Know

Here is a quick collection of words frequently mentioned in discussions of Shakespeare's linguistic influence:

Word Common Modern Meaning Shakespeare Connection
Bedazzled Amazed or dazzled Used in The Taming of the Shrew
Lonely Lacking companionship Used in Coriolanus
Gloomy Dark or depressing Used in Titus Andronicus
Fashionable Stylish or current Used in Troilus and Cressida
Watchdog A guard or monitoring organization Associated with Shakespeare's usage
Swagger Confident or self-important manner Used in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Barefaced Undisguised or shameless Associated with Shakespearean usage
Cold-blooded Cruel or unemotional Associated with Shakespearean usage

The table should not be interpreted as proof that Shakespeare independently coined every word listed. Historical evidence for individual words varies. For researchers exploring these linguistic questions, learning how to write a research paper for a Scopus journal can help you contribute to this ongoing scholarly conversation.

The Real Legacy of Shakespeare

The most fascinating thing about Shakespeare's contribution to English may not be the number of words he supposedly invented.

It is his ability to make language expressive, flexible, memorable, and emotionally powerful.

He could turn an ordinary word into a striking metaphor. He could combine simple words to create an unforgettable image. He could bend grammar to suit a character. He could invent or popularize expressions that remained meaningful long after the original performance ended.

That is why his influence continues. For additional guidance on academic writing and research, explore AD Publications' guide on writing a complete research paper.

Continue Exploring Our Blog

We invite you to read more insightful articles from our blog to support your academic journey in English Literature, Cultural Studies, and Research Methodology: