The top ten: Useful words for which there is no English equivalent

1. Schadenfreude: Joy in the misfortune of others. German.

2. Wei-wu-wei: Deliberate decision not to do something. Chinese. From an on-line list compiled by Feedbacq.

3. Prozvonit: To call a mobile phone to have it ring once so that the other person calls back, saving the first caller money. Czech and Slovak.

4. Age-otori: To look worse after a haircut. Japanese.

5. Chutzpah: Cheek but with extremely self-confident audacity. Yiddish.Nominated by Rafael Behr.

6. Zeg: The day after tomorrow. Georgian. Sometimes English lacks subtlety. Here it lacks simple utility.

7. Stramash: Fight, uproar. Scottish and northern English.

8. Esprit de l’escalier: The brilliantly witty response you didn’t think of until too late. French.

9. Fremdschämen: Being embarrassed for someone else, often someone who should be but isn’t. German

10. Pesmenteiro: One who shows up to a funeral for the food. Portuguese.