SOURCES

Where every
word comes from.

Every Cornish word and phrase on this site, and in our printables, was copied from one of the pages below and checked against it on 31 October 2026. The site’s facts (dates, census figures and quotes) were checked the same way. Words we couldn’t find in these sources were left out.

How we handle spelling, “you” and pronunciation

Spelling. The Akademi Kernewek dictionary is in the Standard Written Form (SWF) of Cornish, “as agreed in 2008 and reviewed in 2014”. Some entries have Middle or Late variants, marked M and L. Akademi Kernewek: Cornish Dictionary, About ↗ Where both are given, we use the M form.
Cornwall Council’s list. Hello, how’s it going, the answers, thank you, the numbers 1 to 20 and several other phrases are copied from Cornwall Council’s list of 20 Cornish words and phrases. Cornwall Council’s list of 20 Cornish words and phrases was shared by Will Coleman of Golden Tree Productions and Pol Hodge, the Grand Bard of Cornwall. Cornwall Council: Learn how to speak Kernewek: 20 Cornish words and phrases to get you started (10 November 2022) ↗ We left out one answer from that list, which means “evil” or “awful”, as the lessons are for children too.
One person or more. Where the dictionary marks a phrase sg. (singular) or pl. (plural), we say “to one person” or “to more than one person”. We don’t add rules of our own about when to use each.
Pronunciation. No invented sound-alike spellings and no recordings of our own. The Go Cornish phrase books have “Simple phrases with audio to get you chatting in Cornish”. Go Cornish: Phrase books ↗ Cornwall Council’s Learn Cornish page: “The Go Cornish website has everything you need to start learning Cornish.” Cornwall Council: Learn Cornish ↗
Place names. Town, village and famous-place names are copied from the Akademi Kernewek place-name list. We don’t give place-name meanings. The Cornish place names published by Akademi Kernewek are researched by its Place Names Panel and are “in today’s Cornish, using the Standard Written Form, but based on research of historic evidence”. Akademi Kernewek: Place-names resources ↗
Census figures. The 2021 figures (563 in England and Wales, 471 of them in Cornwall) are our total of the Cornish rows in the Office for National Statistics TS024 data file.
Who does what. Akademi Kernewek is recognised by Cornwall Council as the definitive body responsible for corpus planning for the Cornish language. It sets standards for the language, develops the dictionary and place names, and carries out research. Akademi Kernewek: Cornish Dictionary, About ↗ Kesva an Taves Kernewek, the Cornish Language Board: “Though most members use Common Cornish, the Board recognises the Standard Written Form for use in schools and public life.” Kesva an Taves Kernewek (Cornish Language Board): home page ↗

All sources

Spotted a mistake? Email info@reallybyte.com.

Where everyword comes from.

How we handle spelling, “you” and pronunciation

All sources

Where every
word comes from.