• A. Fluorine
  • B. Iron
  • C. Phosphorus
  • D. Francium

💡 Need a hint?

The symbol doesn’t come from the English name, but from the Latin word for this metal: ferrum. Think of a strong, magnetic material that once gave an entire era its name.

✅ See the answer

The correct answer is B. Iron.

‘Fe’ comes from the Latin ferrum, atomic number 26. And yes, this is exactly the kind of question where people confidently write down the wrong answer. Fluorine has the symbol F, phosphorus is P, francium is Fr. None of those three have anything to do with ‘Fe’, but in the heat of a quiz round, ‘fluorine’ suddenly sounds very convincing.

📚 More background information

Many elements in the periodic table carry symbols that seem to have nothing to do with their English names, simply because the symbols are derived from Latin names. Sodium is Na (from natrium), potassium is K (from kalium), gold is Au (from aurum). The system itself, also known as Mendeleev’s table, arranges all known elements by atomic number.

Iron is one of the most widely used metals in the world, playing a central role in steel production. Anyone who memorises a handful of those Latin abbreviations will have a serious advantage over the rest of their quiz team in the science category.