What is the most widespread language?

The most widely spoken language in the world, by number of native speakers, is Mandarin Chinese.

However, it's important to note that this depends on how you define "widespread".

* Native Speakers: Mandarin Chinese has the most native speakers, with over 900 million people speaking it as their first language.

* Total Speakers: If you include second language speakers, English has a larger total number of speakers worldwide.

* Global Use: English is arguably the most widely used language in international communication, commerce, and diplomacy.

So, while Mandarin Chinese has the most native speakers, English is arguably the most widespread language in terms of global use.