How Many Programming Languages Are There
Did you know that there are approximately 6500 spoken languages in the world? We bet that number is more than you would have guessed. Now have you ever wondered how many programming languages are there?
The answer might also surprise you.
Wikipedia claims there are approximately 700 programming languages, while others say that number is closer to 9000! The truth is, thereve been countless programming languages created throughout history. But like spoken languages, theres a hierarchy of programming languages based on their prevalence and usage.
Assembly Becomes First Widely
As mentioned above, this type of low level programming language is significant because it was the first to enable programmers to write code by using symbols instead of binary code. Even today, the same type of computer programming is used in real-time software like simulation flight navigation systems and medical monitoring equipment, or for creating computer viruses.
How Many Programming Languages Are There Exactly
Programming, the mysterious craft that we all have heard about at some point, know that a lot of people do it, but not all have asked themselves the question how its actually done. Programming languages, the syntax of instructions for your computer to execute. When you hear about programming, what is being referred to is writing sets of those instructions in order to build a complete piece of software.
The best thing about programming is the diversity, if you write code youre not limited to a single language, in fact, there are more of those than you could ever memorize, each having its own advantages, disadvantages, and dedicated use-cases. It would be impossible to mention all of them, but well try to do our best to highlight the most common, most important ones.
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Understanding The Different Types Of Computer Programming Languages
Understanding different coding languages and their uses is an important first step if you want to start a career in the tech industry, or even simply broaden your skill set. Once you have some programming experience, youll naturally get better at selecting the best coding languages for your project goals.
With a bit of knowledge and help from our guide, youll know which language will make your website sparkle and which will make your equations shine. A good programmer has an arsenal of different kinds of coding languages at their disposal for use on any occasion.
The Main Types Of Coding Languages

There are many types of coding languages. This is because the base language that computers speak, which is just ones and zeros, is far too difficult to use alone. We need some kind of in-between language that humans can use to give effective orders to computers in a reasonable amount of time.
Because all computer programming languages are just in-betweens, the different types of coding languages provide different levels of functionality. The first factor to consider when organizing these coding languages is whether it is high-level or low-level.
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While The Number Of Living Languages Currently Stands At More Than Seven Thousand The 2014 Figures Also Include 915 Languages That Are Dying
During the second millennium B.C., the number of extinct languages was only seven. Along with each millennium, the number of dead languages is a question of balance.
The largest number of languages lost was during the 20th century when a total of 110 languages were declared extinct.
In the current century, there are already 12 dead languages, the most recent being the loss of Klallam, in February of 2014, when Hazel Sampson, its last native speaker, died.
Klallam was the traditional language of the Klallam natives living in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, located on the Olympic Peninsula in the State of Washington and in Beecher Bay, British Columbia.
In addition to the main languages, such as Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and English, there are still many other languages, such as English, French, and German belonging to different linguistic families, in which the degree of diversity represents a problem in quantifying numbers. However, one fact is true: a large part of the languages of the world are rapidly disappearing.
One of the main reasons for the death of a language is the invasion of the main languages in different parts of the world. Once the language is no longer learned by the younger generation, its loss becomes inevitable, and when the last remaining speakers of a specific language leave that land, the language is also lost forever.
Final Thoughts About Computer Languages
As you can see, answering the question how many programming languages are there? is not as simple as it seems. Our coding languages list roundup demonstrated that depending on who you ask the answer varies significantly.
Whats for certain is that despite the sheer number of programming languages in existence, the number of programming languages in use is a much smaller number. The number is reduced even further when we analyze which coding languages are regularly used by IT professionals.
The most commonly used programming languages are highly functional, serving a variety of purposes and systems. Its this functionality and adaptability that maintains their popularity amongst IT professionals.
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Types Of Programming Languages And What They Do
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
If you’re considering a career in computer programming or you just want to learn some new skills, being familiar with different types of programming languages can help you understand how computer programs are created and why certain languages work best for specific programs.
In this article, we explore a list of 50 programming languages and explain how they work.
Related:
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: This type of software developer specializes in the design and creation of video games using coding for graphics and interactivity.
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: This type of programmer designs and creates applications for computers or mobile devices.
Related: 6 Types of Programming Jobs
How Many Computer Languages Are There The Short Answer
There are about 700 programming languages, including esoteric coding languages. Some sources that only list notable languages still count up to an impressive 245 languages. Another list called HOPL, which claims to include every programming language to ever exist, puts the total number of different programming languages at 8,945.
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What Is A Coding Language
The first step to figuring out how many programming languages there are is to define programming language. This is an important step in compiling a list of programming languages because, just like with human languages, its sometimes hard to decide what is different enough to be its own language.
One common way of defining a programming language is: an artificial language built to allow someone to give instructions to a computer. Computers cant understand English, Hindi, or Chinese, and almost no humans learn binary, the base language of computers. So we need some intermediate way of communicating, which we call programming languages.
These languages are used to write programs, which are complete and functional sets of instructions that computers use to accomplish tasks, like loading a web page, generating statistical analyses, and finding the sum of two numbers.
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Get Your Career Up To Code
There are plenty of tech jobs waiting for you, and the more you can get in front of hiring managers and impress them with your mastery of programming languages, the better your odds are of getting the call. Need some help? Join Monster for free today. As a member, you can upload up to five versions of your resumeeach tailored to the types of coding jobs that interest you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to fill top jobs with qualified candidates, just like you. Additionally, you can get job alerts sent directly to your inbox to cut down on time spent looking through ads. Monster knows how to speak the age-old language of career success.
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How To Choose A Programming Language

As we learn about the different types of coding languages throughout this article, you might be wondering how to choose a programming language to start learning. To answer this question, youll need to decide what you want to accomplish with your new coding knowledge.
Generally, high-level programming languages are more accessible for beginners, but the language you choose within this category depends on your individual goals. In the following section, we detail some of the best coding languages to use for different aspects of development.
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Does Coding Need Math
Aspiring coders are often concerned about the amount of math involved. Most coding requires a basic knowledge of math concepts like algebra and logic. Your interest area also affects the amount of math you need to know. For example, most front-end web developers need basic math skills.
Comparatively, back-end web developers may need to know basic algebra and geometry. Those in the security, data science, and robotics fields may need to know more advanced mathematical concepts.
Feature Image: Chalirmpoj Pimpisarn / EyeEm / Getty Images
Most Used Coding Languages
If youre new to programming, its easy to get lost in long lists of coding languages. You dont need to learn all of them. You can spend your time studying just a few of the most used programming languages. Though the top five coding languages vary in age, they are all important to understand if you want to be a developer.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a staple programming language for web development. Combined with HTML, this coding language helps developers build interactive website features. Front end web developers rely heavily on JavaScript because it works with all major web browsers. The syntax is easy to follow, and there are many online resources that can help new and experienced coders.
JavaScript is so popular that developers have taken it offline and begun using it to build desktop apps too. You can use JavaScript with runtime environments such as Node.js to create apps with JavaScript functions that dont require a browser. JavaScript is a great coding language to start with because its one of the most used programming languages and its easy to learn.
HTML
This coding language is one of the most commonly used programming languages for web development, and it is easy to learn HTML. The acronym HTML stands for hypertext markup language, and the language is used for formatting and arranging text in a document. Developers can use HTML to change text position, font, size, and color properties.
C/C++
Java
Python
Ruby
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How Many Languages Are There In The World
by Lingua | Jun 29, 2022 | Languages |
Including living languages and languages in decline or almost extinct, you have already wondered how many languages are there in the world?
While many believe that the number of languages in the world is approximately 6500, there are 7106 living languages. However, this number is documented according to the latest contagion.
There is no clear answer as to how many languages still exist. The question of how many languages exist has always been surrounded by uncertainty.
Although we can assume that linguists have a definitive idea of the exact number, it is verified that there are many different reasons why it is so difficult to determine the full contagion of languages in the world. And it cannot be attributed simply to the fact that there are still parts of the world that have not yet been fully explored, The Amazon and the highlands of Nova Guiné are a clear example of it.
The public in general probably has no idea about the exaggerated number of languages spoken in the world, even though they can prove that there are several hundreds. However, over time, the number continued to increase. The 11th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica estimated about 1000. In the course of the twentieth century, the number continued to increase, mainly due to a larger understanding of the languages spoken in areas that were previously unknown or little explored.
What Is A Programming Language
If youre new to the world of IT, then youre probably wondering what is a programming language? Well, computer programming languages are kind of similar to spoken languages. When we speak to each other, we use language to communicate our thoughts and actions.
The same goes for programming languages. A programming language is a means of communication that humans use to instruct computers to perform tasks and actions. Heres a slightly nerdier definition by Webopedia if youre still unclear:
A programming language is a vocabulary and set of grammatical rules for instructing a computer or computing device to perform specific tasks.
Programming languages utilize coding syntax to create software programs which then perform specific tasks. Coding syntax is the concept of providing specific word sets in particular orders for computers to do what humans tell them to do. Coding syntax is the basis for all programming languages.
Programming languages are divided into two categories:
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What Is An Iso Language Code
ISO 639 is a standardized nomenclature used to classify languages. Each language is assigned a two-letter and three-letter lowercase abbreviation, amended in later versions of the nomenclature.
How many ISO 639 3 codes are there?
Code space
Since the code is three-letter alphabetic, one upper bound for the number of languages that can be represented is 26 × 26 × 26 = 17,576. Since ISO 639-2 defines special codes , a reserved range and B-only codes , 546 codes cannot be used in part 3.
Why Are There So Many
Coders use different languages for different purposes. Some are used predominantly for web development. Others are used when writing desktop software, creating mobile apps, and solving scientific problems. Some languages are used for client-side programming, while others are designed for the back-end or server-side.
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What Are Computer Programming Languages
Computer programming languages allow us to give instructions to a computer in a language the computer understands. Just as many human-based languages exist, there are an array of computer programming languages that programmers can use to communicate with a computer. The portion of the language that a computer can understand is called a binary. Translating programming language into binary is known as compiling. Each language, from C Language to Python, has its own distinct features, though many times there are commonalities between programming languages.
These languages allow computers to quickly and efficiently process large and complex swaths of information. For example, if a person is given a list of randomized numbers ranging from one to ten thousand and is asked to place them in ascending order, chances are that it will take a sizable amount of time and include some errors.
There are dozens of programming languages used in the industry today. We’ve compiled overviews of the 12 most important, relevant and in-demand of these languages below.
How To Start Learning To Code

Learning to code can be a daunting yet enjoyable task. The job prospects are promising and coding is effectively the language of the future. Regardless of whichever educational path you choose, the power to code is currently at your fingertips. The Internet is a powerful tool that coding newbies can use to their advantage.
One of the best ways to get started with your coding education is by enrolling in a programming bootcamp. Programming or coding bootcamps are career-forward, immersive programs that teach everything you need to know to get a career in tech in as little time as possible. So, within a few months, you could find yourself sitting at a desk working for your dream company.
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How Computers Run Programs
Since computers only understand binary code, every programming languageincludes a compiler, which is a special tool that translates a programmer’swork into the 0s and 1s that the machines need.
If we want to print Hello,World! on the screen, we would write theinstructions in our chosen programming language, then select “Run”. Our codegets sent to the compiler, which converts our typed commands into something thecomputer can use. The instructions are then executed by the machine, and weobserve the results.
In the example above, the syntax for printing Hello,World! variesbetween the Python, JavaScript, and Java languages, but the end result is thesame.
What Are The 2 Letter Language Codes
ISO 2 Letter Language Codes
Language |
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What are the 3 types of codes?
The Three Types of Code
- Boring Code. Boring code is when it makes perfect sense when you read it.
- Salt Mine Code. This is the type of code thats bonkers and makes not a lick of sense.
- Radioactive Code. Radioactive code is the real problem at the heart of every engineering team.
Which coding language is best?
As per the latest statistics, Python is the main coding language for around 80% of developers. The presence of extensive libraries in Python facilitates artificial intelligence, data science, and machine learning processes. Currently, Python is trending and can be regarded as the king of programming languages.
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