What language do pen pals write in? Do you need English? Data from 2,447 letters
Between two people who share no language and live outside English-speaking countries, only 25% of letters were in English; 61% were in the writer's own language. Lettie's own data from 2,447 letters, 63 countries.
You don't need English to have a pen pal. Between two people who speak different languages and both live outside English-speaking countries, only 25% of letters were written in English. 61% were written in the writer's own language, and the reader translated them.
These are Lettie's own numbers. As of November 4, 2026, we looked at the first 100 characters of 2,447 human-written letters (419 people, 63 countries) to tell which language each was written in. We don't publish letter text.
Overall, 65% are in English
| Language | Letters |
|---|---|
| English | 65% |
| Chinese | 11% |
| Korean | 9% |
| Cyrillic script (mostly Russian) | 3% |
| Turkish | 3% |
| German | 2% |
| Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Arabic script | about 1% each |
| Couldn't tell | 3% |
English leads because of where writers live: many letters come from English-speaking countries such as the US, India, Nigeria, the UK and Uganda. That's why pen pals seem to "happen in English". Look only at people outside the English-speaking world and the picture changes.
Between people who don't share a language
| Group | Letters (people) | English | Writer's own language | Reader's language | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two people in different countries | 1783 (295) | 64% | 29% | 4% | 4% |
| Neither in an English-speaking country, different languages | 345 (85) | 25% | 61% | 9% | 5% |
| Non-English-speaking country → US, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, Ireland | 231 (74) | 48% | 45% | — | 7% |
- When there's no shared language, say a writer in Korea writing to someone in Türkiye, three letters in four were not in English.
- Even letters to people in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland were almost half (45%) in the writer's own language.
- 9% were written in the reader's language — people trying a few sentences in the language they're learning.
A few prolific writers can tilt letter counts, so we also counted people. In the "no shared language, outside the English-speaking world" group, 48% of people wrote mostly in their own language and 38% mostly in English. Counting people nudges English up, but own-language writing still leads.
By country
Countries outside the English-speaking world with at least 30 letters sent abroad and at least 5 writers.
| Writer's country | Letters sent abroad | Writers | English | Own language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 131 | 31 | 12% | 85% |
| China | 143 | 22 | 22% | 73% |
| Türkiye | 76 | 10 | 34% | 61% |
| Brazil | 30 | 5 | 47% | 33% |
Letters sent abroad from Korea were mostly in Korean; 12% were in English. Small samples (5 writers in Brazil) mostly reflect a few people's habits, so read them lightly.
Even to a stranger
Open letters released into the sky are written without knowing who will read them. Of 190 released by 124 people outside English-speaking countries, 32% were in English. The rest went up in the writer's own language, and whoever picked them up translated them.
So, do you need English?
- No. Lettie translates letters into the reader's app language (70+ languages). Tap "Show translation" and the letter turns into your language in place; "Show original only" switches back.
- Translating letters is free 3 times a day and unlimited with Lettie Plus. Translating the same letter again on the same day doesn't count.
- A line of greeting in your pen pal's language goes a long way. See how to write to someone who doesn't speak your language.
- If you want to practise English, write in English. See using a pen pal to learn a language.
How we counted
- Letters: human-written letters on Lettie (conversation letters and open letters), excluding AI accounts, staff and test accounts — the same basis as Lettie letter statistics.
- Language: the first 100 characters of each letter. Hangul, kana, Chinese characters, Cyrillic, Arabic, Devanagari and Thai are told apart by script; Latin-script letters by common words in each language (the/and, que/hola, você/eu …). These are approximate, and 3% couldn't be told. Simplified and Traditional Chinese are combined.
- English-speaking countries: the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, plus countries where English is an official language such as India, Nigeria and the Philippines. All of them are excluded from the "neither in an English-speaking country" group.
- We don't publish conversation metrics such as reply rates; the samples are small.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I have a pen pal if I don't speak English?
- Yes. In Lettie's letter data (November 4, 2026), of 345 letters between two people who speak different languages and live outside English-speaking countries, 25% were in English and 61% were in the writer's own language. The reader translates them into their app language.
- What language do most pen pals write in?
- Of 2,447 letters on Lettie, 65% were in English, 11% Chinese and 9% Korean. English leads because many writers live in English-speaking countries such as the US, India and Nigeria.
- Is translation free on Lettie?
- Translating letters is free 3 times a day and unlimited with Lettie Plus. Translating the same letter again on the same day doesn't count. Letters are translated into the reader's app language (70+ languages).