What Languages to Pick in D&D 5e
Every hero knows Common plus two languages rolled or chosen from the Standard Languages table; class features can add more. Languages are the quietest choice in character creation. Two lines, picked in a hurry, rarely looked at again. Then a kobold starts talking, and the table finds out whether anyone understood. Here is the rule from the SRD, and a count of who in the SRD's own stat blocks speaks what.
The rule
The SRD's character creation chapter:
Your character knows at least three languages: Common plus two languages you roll or choose from the Standard Languages table. Knowledge of a language means your character can communicate in it, read it, and write it. Your class and other features might also give you languages.
Three things in that paragraph matter:
- Common is free. "Every player character knows Common." It never uses one of your picks.
- Roll or choose. The rule allows either. Most tables choose.
- Read and write too. Knowing a language covers speech, reading and writing. There is no separate literacy rule.
The two tables
The Standard Languages table, with its 1d12 column:
| 1d12 | Language |
|---|---|
| — | Common |
| 1 | Common Sign Language |
| 2 | Draconic |
| 3–4 | Dwarvish |
| 5–6 | Elvish |
| 7 | Giant |
| 8 | Gnomish |
| 9 | Goblin |
| 10–11 | Halfling |
| 12 | Orc |
The SRD says these "originated with the first members of the most prominent species in the setting and have since spread widely."
The Rare Languages are "either secret or derived from other planes of existence": Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Druidic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, Thieves' Cant and Undercommon. You don't pick from this list at level 1 unless a feature says so:
Some features let a character learn a rare language.
Primordial has a footnote worth knowing:
Primordial includes the Aquan, Auran, Ignan, and Terran dialects. Creatures that know one of these dialects can communicate with those that know a different one.
So one language covers all four dialects.
Who speaks what: 330 stat blocks counted
The SRD's monster chapter gives every creature a Languages line. The rule for reading it:
This entry lists languages that the monster can use to communicate. Sometimes a monster can understand a language but can't communicate with it, which is noted in its entry. "None" indicates that a creature doesn't comprehend any language.
We counted every Languages line in SRD 5.2.1's monsters and animals: 330 stat blocks. 130 say "None". Of the other 200, here is how many use or understand each language:
| Language | Stat blocks | Share of the 200 |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 127 | 63.5% |
| Draconic | 46 | 23% |
| Primordial (any dialect) | 23 | 11.5% |
| Abyssal | 18 | 9% |
| Infernal | 17 | 8.5% |
| Giant | 13 | 6.5% |
| Sylvan | 12 | 6% |
| Elvish | 12 | 6% |
| Celestial | 10 | 5% |
| Goblin | 8 | 4% |
Deep Speech and Thieves' Cant appear 3 times each, Undercommon and Druidic twice. Dwarvish, Gnomish, Halfling, Orc and Common Sign Language: none of the stat blocks speak them. 22 blocks say "Common plus one other language", which the GM fills in. 25 have telepathy.
What that means for your two picks:
- Draconic is the best standard pick for talking to monsters. It is the second most spoken language in the SRD, after Common. Dragons speak it, and so does the Kobold Warrior: "Languages Common, Draconic."
- Most humanoid foes already speak Common. The Goblin Warrior lists "Common, Goblin." The Quasit lists "Abyssal, Common." You can talk to them without a second language.
- Dwarvish, Halfling and Gnomish are for people, not monsters. They earn their place in towns, with NPCs your GM invents, and in old writing. Pick them for the story you want.
- Abyssal and Infernal matter later. Demons and devils show up at higher levels, many with telepathy as well, but these are rare languages: you need a feature to learn them.
Rolling instead of choosing
If you roll, each character rolls 1d12 twice (reroll a language you already have). The 2-in-12 languages come up twice as often:
| Language | One hero knows it | At least one in a party of four |
|---|---|---|
| Dwarvish, Elvish or Halfling | 32.4% | 79.1% |
| Common Sign, Draconic, Giant, Gnomish, Goblin or Orc | 17.1% | 52.8% |
A rolling party of four has a 47.2% chance that nobody speaks Draconic. If the campaign has dragons in it, choose.
Languages from your class
Two classes hand out a rare language at level 1, and one hands out two of your choice at level 2.
The Rogue, Thieves' Cant:
You picked up various languages in the communities where you plied your roguish talents. You know Thieves' Cant and one other language of your choice, which you choose from the language tables in "Character Creation."
"The language tables" means both, so a Rogue can take Infernal or Sylvan here.
The Druid, Druidic:
You know Druidic, the secret language of Druids. While learning this ancient tongue, you also unlocked the magic of communicating with animals; you always have the Speak with Animals spell prepared.
You can use Druidic to leave hidden messages. You and others who know Druidic automatically spot such a message. Others spot the message's presence with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check but can't decipher it without magic.
The Ranger at level 2, Deft Explorer:
Languages. You know two languages of your choice from the language tables in "Character Creation."
Telepathy
Telepathy skips the language barrier, mostly:
Unless a rule states otherwise, the contacted creature doesn't need to share a language with the telepath to understand this communication, but the contacted creature must be able to understand at least one language or be telepathic itself to understand.
A creature without telepathy can receive telepathic messages but can't initiate a telepathic conversation.
So when a demon with telepathy 120 ft. speaks into your head, you understand it even without Abyssal, and you can answer while the link lasts.
When nobody speaks it: the spells
Comprehend Languages (level 1, Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard; Action or Ritual; 1 hour):
For the duration, you understand the literal meaning of any language that you hear or see signed. You also understand any written language that you see, but you must be touching the surface on which the words are written. It takes about 1 minute to read one page of text. This spell doesn't decode symbols or secret messages.
It is a ritual, so a Wizard can cast it without a slot. It lets you understand, not speak, and it doesn't read Druidic messages.
Tongues (level 3, Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard; touch; 1 hour):
This spell grants the creature you touch the ability to understand any spoken or signed language that it hears or sees. Moreover, when the target communicates by speaking or signing, any creature that knows at least one language can understand it if that creature can hear the speech or see the signing.
Tongues works both ways. A creature whose Languages line says "None" still can't understand you.
Quick reference
- Every hero knows Common plus two standard languages. Knowing one means speaking, reading and writing it.
- Rare languages (Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Druidic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, Thieves' Cant, Undercommon) need a feature.
- Of 200 SRD stat blocks with a language, 127 use Common and 46 Draconic. No stat block speaks Dwarvish, Gnomish, Halfling or Orc.
- Rogues get Thieves' Cant plus any one language; Rangers get two at level 2.
- Druidic messages: spotted with DC 15 Investigation, never read without magic.
- Comprehend Languages lets you understand; Tongues lets you understand and be understood.
The Book of Dice covers the d12 behind the Standard Languages table in Part I, The Object.
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 ("SRD 5.2.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
