Igbo is spoken by over 40 million people across southeastern Nigeria. It belongs to the Volta-Niger branch of the Niger-Congo language. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Igbo are Fon, Yoruba, Ewe, Aja, and Luba‑Kasai, although it is quite unique.
- Fon (31.2)
Mainly spoken in Southern Benin and neighboring Togo, Fon is perhaps the most similar language to Igbo. Many of the same fundamental terms, such as gbé “live” and dè “sit”, reveal common Volta–Niger heritage. Like Igbo’s two (or three, in some dialects) level tones, Fon relies on contrasting high and low tones to distinguish meaning. - Yoruba (30.1)
Southwestern Nigeria, Benin, Togo is where Yoruba is primarily spoken. Everyday items often share roots in Igbo and Yoruba. For example, Igbo akwá “egg” vs. Yoruba àwá. While the intricate Bantu‑style noun‑class systems were pared down, both languages still show vestiges in agreement patterns, particularly possessive pronouns and demonstratives. - Ewe (28.9)
Ewe is commonly spoken in Southeastern Ghana and southern Togo. Ewe’s elaborate vowel‑harmony system mirrors Igbo’s advanced vowel inventory, both playing crucial roles in morphological alternations. Both languages have some similar vocabulary and use reduplication to intensify adjectives or verbs. - Aja (27.6)
In Southern Benin and southwestern Nigeria, Aja is spoken by a relatively small amount of people. It is part of the Gbe branch of Volta–Niger subgroup. Aja sits at a dialectal crossroads with Fon and Ewe, which reinforces many features also resonant in Igbo—tone‑driven minimal pairs and a proclivity for compound verbs. - Luba-Kasai (22.7)
Luba-Kasai is a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While Bantu languages generally belong to a different subgroup within the Niger-Congo family, Luba-Kasai shares some roots of words with Igbo. However, due to geographical distance and historical divergence, Igbo and Luba-Kasai are not mutually intelligible.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)