Polytranslator

Old English alphabet

Englisc stæfrof

The Old English alphabet is the writing system used by the Anglo-Saxons from roughly 600 to 1100 CE — the language of Beowulf, Bede, and King Alfred. It is a Latin alphabet extended with four letters (þ, ð, æ, ƿ) for sounds Latin did not have, and the long vowels are often marked with macrons (ā ē ī ō ū) in modern editions.

All 31 letters

Aa
A
a
/ɑ/
Āā
A with macron
ā
/ɑː/
Long a.
Ææ
Ash
æ
/æ/
The vowel of modern "cat".
Ǣǣ
Ash with macron
ǣ
/æː/
Long ash.
Bb
B
b
/b/
Cc
C
c
/k / tʃ/
Pronounced "k" before back vowels, "ch" before front vowels (e.g. ċild = child).
Dd
D
d
/d/
Ðð
Eth
ð / th
/ð / θ/
Used interchangeably with thorn for both "th" sounds.
Ee
E
e
/e/
Ēē
E with macron
ē
/eː/
Long e.
Ff
F
f / v
/f / v/
Voiced (v) between voiced sounds, voiceless (f) elsewhere.
Gg
G
g / y
/g / j / ɣ/
Hard "g" before back vowels; "y" sound (ġ) before front vowels.
Hh
H
h
/h / x/
"h" at word start; "ch" (Scottish loch) elsewhere.
Ii
I
i
/i/
Īī
I with macron
ī
/iː/
Long i.
Ll
L
l
/l/
Mm
M
m
/m/
Nn
N
n
/n/
Oo
O
o
/o/
Ōō
O with macron
ō
/oː/
Long o.
Pp
P
p
/p/
Rr
R
r
/r/
Ss
S
s / z
/s / z/
Voiced (z) between voiced sounds.
Tt
T
t
/t/
Þþ
Thorn
þ / th
/θ / ð/
The most famous Anglo-Saxon letter — "þ" is the source of "y" in "ye olde".
Uu
U
u
/u/
Ūū
U with macron
ū
/uː/
Long u.
Ƿƿ
Wynn
ƿ / w
/w/
Replaced by "w" in Middle English. Modern editions usually print "w" in its place.
Xx
X
x
/ks/
Rare — usually written "cs" or "hs".
Yy
Y
y
/y/
Pronounced like German "ü" — a rounded front vowel.
Ȳȳ
Y with macron
ȳ
/yː/
Long rounded front vowel.

History

Christian missionaries brought the Latin alphabet to Anglo-Saxon Britain in the 7th century, replacing the older Anglo-Saxon runes (Futhorc) for everyday writing. To capture sounds the Latin alphabet could not — the two "th" sounds, the front vowel "ash", and the "w" — scribes added thorn (þ) from the runes, eth (ð), ash (æ), and wynn (ƿ). Wynn was eventually replaced by "uu" → "w" in Middle English; thorn lingered into Early Modern English (the "ye olde" spelling is really "þe" — a thorn that printers approximated with "y").

Things you might not know

  • The English word "the" was originally spelled "þe" — printers without a thorn type used "y", which is why old shop signs say "Ye Olde".
  • Macrons (ā ē ī ō ū) are a modern editorial convention; Anglo-Saxon scribes did not mark vowel length, leaving readers to figure it out from context.
  • Wynn (ƿ) and thorn (þ) were both borrowed from the runic Futhorc — the only runic letters to make the jump into Latin-script Old English.
  • Old English had no letter "j", "v", or "w" as we know them — "i" did the work of "j", "u" did "v", and "ƿ" (later "uu") did "w".
Type in Old English with the on-screen keyboard

Languages written in Old English

Translate Old English
Old English Alphabet: All Letters Including Þ, Ð, Æ, Ƿ