English–Old English Dictionary

Browse common English words and their Old English translations, with parts of speech and example sentences. Use this dictionary to look up everyday vocabulary or as a starting point for learning Old English.

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Browse common Old English vocabulary

Word	Part of speech	Translation	Example
I	pronoun	ic	I am here now. Ic eom her nu.
you	pronoun	þu	You are very wise. Þu eart swiðe wis.
he	pronoun	he	He walks to the house. He gæð to þam huse.
she	pronoun	heo	She loves her child. Heo lufað hire cild.
we	pronoun	we	We work every day. We wyrcað ælce dæg.
they	pronoun	hie	They come from the city. Hie cumað of þære byrig.
what	pronoun	hwæt	What is this word? Hwæt is þis word?
where	adverb	hwær	Where is your house? Hwær is þin hus?
when	adverb	hwænne	When do you come? Hwænne cymst þu?
who	pronoun	hwa	Who is that man? Hwa is se mann?
why	adverb	for hwon	Why are you sad? For hwon eart þu unrot?
how	adverb	hu	How do you know? Hu wast þu?
to be	verb	beon	We are ready now. We synd gearwe nu.
to have	verb	habban	I have good bread. Ic hæbbe god hlaf.
to do	verb	don	They do hard work. Hie doð heard weorc.
to go	verb	gan	I go home now. Ic ga ham nu.
to come	verb	cuman	They come tomorrow morning. Hie cumað to morgenne.
to see	verb	geseon	I see the moon. Ic geseo þone monan.
to know	verb	witan	We know the story. We witon þa spell.
to think	verb	þencan	I think about life. Ic þence be life.
to want	verb	willan	I want more water. Ic wille ma wæteres.
to need	verb	beþurfan	We need more food. We beþurfon ma mete.
to make	verb	wyrcan	They make a new table. Hie wyrcað niwe mæsan.
to take	verb	niman	Take the book home. Nim þa boc ham.
to give	verb	giefan	I give you bread. Ic gife þe hlaf.
to say	verb	secgan	He says one word. He segð an word.
to tell	verb	tellan	Tell me the truth. Telle me þa soðfæstnesse.
to ask	verb	ascian	I ask one question. Ic asciige ane axunge.
to find	verb	findan	We find the way. We findað þone weg.
to look	verb	locian	Look at the sky. Loca to þam heofone.
to use	verb	brucan	We use this table. We brucað þisses mæsan.
to work	verb	wyrcan	They work every week. Hie wyrcað ælce wucan.
to eat	verb	etan	We eat bread daily. We etað hlaf dæghwamlice.
to drink	verb	drincan	I drink cold water. Ic drince ceald wæter.
to sleep	verb	slæpan	The child sleeps now. Þæt cild slæpð nu.
to walk	verb	gangan	We walk on the street. We gæð on þære stræte.
to run	verb	rinnan	The boy runs fast. Se cnafa rint hrædlice.
to read	verb	rædan	I read this book. Ic ræde þas boc.
to write	verb	writan	She writes one word. Heo writ an word.
to speak	verb	sprecan	They speak our language. Hie sprecað ure gereord.
to listen	verb	hlystan	Listen to my words. Hlyst minum wordum.
to hear	verb	hieran	I hear the wind. Ic hiere þone wind.
to buy	verb	bycgan	We buy good bread. We bycgað godne hlaf.
to sell	verb	sellan	They sell fish there. Hie sellað fisc þær.
to pay	verb	gieldan	I pay the man. Ic gielde þam menn.
to help	verb	helpan	Help your friend now. Help þinum freonde nu.
to love	verb	lufian	I love my family. Ic lufie minne hired.
to live	verb	libban	We live in the city. We libbað on þære byrig.
to die	verb	sweltan	All men must die. Ealle menn sculon sweltan.
to learn	verb	leornian	Children learn every day. Cild leorniað ælce dæg.
to teach	verb	læran	Mothers teach young children. Modru lærað geonge cild.
to open	verb	openian	Open the door now. Opena þa duru nu.
to close	verb	belucan	Close the door gently. Beluc þa duru sliðe.
person	noun	mann	Each person has a name. Ælc mann hæfð nama.
man	noun	wer	The man is strong. Se wer is strang.
woman	noun	wif	The woman speaks wisely. Þæt wif spricð wislice.
child	noun	cild	The child is happy. Þæt cild is bliðe.
boy	noun	cnafa	The boy has bread. Se cnafa hæfð hlaf.
girl	noun	mægden	The girl reads well. Þæt mægden ræt wel.
family	noun	hired	My family lives here. Min hired lið her.
mother	noun	modor	My mother is kind. Min modor is cystig.
father	noun	fæder	His father works daily. His fæder wyrcð dæghwamlice.
friend	noun	freond	A friend helps quickly. Freond helpt hrædlice.
house	noun	hus	The house is old. Þæt hus is eald.
home	noun	ham	We go home now. We gæð ham nu.
city	noun	burh	The city is large. Seo burh is micel.
country	noun	rice	The country has peace. Þæt rice hæfð sibbe.
world	noun	woruld	The world is wide. Seo woruld is wid.
street	noun	stræt	The street is long. Þæt stræt is lang.
time	noun	tid	Time passes very quickly. Tid gewit swiðe hrædlice.
day	noun	dæg	The day is warm. Se dæg is hat.
night	noun	niht	The night is dark. Seo niht is deorc.
morning	noun	morgen	The morning is cold. Se morgen is ceald.
evening	noun	æfen	The evening is quiet. Se æfen is stille.
week	noun	wucu	A week has seven days. Wucu hæfð seofon dagas.
month	noun	monað	This month is long. Þes monað is lang.
year	noun	gear	The year is new. Þæt gear is niwe.
today	adverb	todæg	I work today here. Ic wyrce todæg her.
tomorrow	adverb	tō morgen	We come tomorrow morning. We cumað tō morgenne.
yesterday	adverb	giestrandæg	He came yesterday here. He com giestrandæg her.
now	adverb	nu	Now we must go. Nu sculon we gan.
sun	noun	sunne	The sun is bright. Seo sunne is beorht.
moon	noun	mona	The moon shines tonight. Se mona scinð to niht.
star	noun	steorra	That star is bright. Se steorra is beorht.
sky	noun	heofon	The sky is blue. Se heofon is blæwen.
earth	noun	eorþe	The earth is wide. Seo eorþe is wid.
fire	noun	fyr	The fire is hot. Þæt fyr is hat.
water	noun	wæter	The water is cold. Þæt wæter is ceald.
rain	noun	ren	The rain falls softly. Se ren fealleð softe.
wind	noun	wind	The wind is strong. Se wind is strang.
tree	noun	treow	The tree is high. Þæt treow is heah.
flower	noun	blostm	The flower is beautiful. Se blostm is fæger.
mountain	noun	beorg	The mountain is high. Se beorg is heah.
river	noun	ea	The river is long. Seo ea is lang.
sea	noun	sæ	The sea is cold. Seo sæ is ceald.
food	noun	mete	The food is good. Se mete is god.
bread	noun	hlaf	This bread is fresh. Þes hlaf is fersc.
meat	noun	flæsc	The meat is hot. Þæt flæsc is hat.
fish	noun	fisc	The fish is fresh. Se fisc is fersc.
egg	noun	æg	The egg is small. Þæt æg is lytel.
milk	noun	meolc	The milk is warm. Þæt meolc is wearm.
fruit	noun	wæstm	The fruit is sweet. Se wæstm is swete.
head	noun	heafod	My head hurts now. Min heafod sareð nu.
eye	noun	eage	Her eye is blue. Hire eage is blæwen.
ear	noun	eare	My ear hears well. Min eare hiereð wel.
mouth	noun	muð	Open your mouth now. Opena þinne muð nu.
nose	noun	nosu	My nose is cold. Min nosu is ceald.
hand	noun	hand	Your hand is warm. Þin hand is wearm.
foot	noun	fot	My foot is hurt. Min fot is sar.
heart	noun	heorte	My heart is happy. Min heorte is bliðe.
name	noun	nama	My name is short. Min nama is sceort.
book	noun	boc	The book is new. Seo boc is niwe.
word	noun	word	That word is true. Þæt word is soð.
language	noun	gereord	This language is old. Þis gereord is eald.
money	noun	feoh	I have little money. Ic hæbbe lytel feoh.
work	noun	weorc	This work is hard. Þis weorc is heard.
love	noun	lufu	Love is very strong. Lufu is swiðe strang.
music	noun	dream	The music is beautiful. Se dream is fæger.
story	noun	spell	The story is true. Þæt spell is soð.
way	noun	weg	This way is long. Þes weg is lang.
thing	noun	þing	That thing is strange. Þæt þing is fremde.
life	noun	lif	Life is very short. Lif is swiðe sceort.
door	noun	duru	The door is open. Seo duru is open.
table	noun	mæs	The table is full. Seo mæs is full.
chair	noun	stol	The chair is old. Se stol is eald.
good	adjective	god	The bread is good. Se hlaf is god.
bad	adjective	yfel	That work is bad. Þæt weorc is yfel.
big	adjective	micel	The house is big. Þæt hus is micel.
small	adjective	lytel	The child is small. Þæt cild is lytel.
new	adjective	niwe	I have a new book. Ic hæbbe niwe boc.
old	adjective	eald	The house is old. Þæt hus is eald.
long	adjective	lang	The road is long. Se weg is lang.
short	adjective	sceort	The story is short. Þæt spell is sceort.
high	adjective	heah	The mountain is high. Se beorg is heah.
low	adjective	niðer	The wall is low. Se weall is niðer.
hot	adjective	hat	The fire is hot. Þæt fyr is hat.
cold	adjective	ceald	The water is cold. Þæt wæter is ceald.
happy	adjective	bliðe	The child is happy. Þæt cild is bliðe.
sad	adjective	unrot	She is sad today. Heo is unrot todæg.
beautiful	adjective	fæger	The flower is beautiful. Se blostm is fæger.
easy	adjective	eaðe	This work is easy. Þis weorc is eaðe.
hard	adjective	heard	That work is hard. Þæt weorc is heard.
fast	adjective	hræd	The horse is fast. Se hors is hræd.
slow	adjective	slaw	The man is slow. Se mann is slaw.
right	adjective	riht	Your answer is right. Þin andswaru is riht.
wrong	adjective	unriht	That word is wrong. Þæt word is unriht.
important	adjective	micel	This work is important. Þis weorc is micel.
true	adjective	soð	This story is true. Þis spell is soð.
free	adjective	freo	The man is free. Se mann is freo.
full	adjective	full	The cup is full. Þæt cupp is full.
empty	adjective	æmtig	The house is empty. Þæt hus is æmtig.
young	adjective	geong	The boy is young. Se cnafa is geong.
strong	adjective	strang	The man is strong. Se mann is strang.
weak	adjective	wac	The child is weak. Þæt cild is wac.
red	adjective	read	The flower is red. Se blostm is read.
blue	adjective	blæwen	The sky is blue. Se heofon is blæwen.
green	adjective	grene	The tree is green. Þæt treow is grene.
yellow	adjective	geolu	The flower is yellow. Se blostm is geolu.
black	adjective	sweart	The night is black. Seo niht is sweart.
white	adjective	hwit	The milk is white. Þæt meolc is hwit.
yes	interjection	gea	Yes, I know that. Gea, ic wat þæt.
no	interjection	na	No, I do not. Na, ic nelle.
not	adverb	ne	I do not know. Ic ne wat.
and	conjunction	and	Bread and water are enough. Hlaf and wæter synd genoh.
or	conjunction	oððe	Tea or milk is fine.
but	conjunction	ac	He is poor but happy. He is earm ac bliðe.
if	conjunction	gif	If you come, I stay. Gif þu cymst, ic abide.
because	conjunction	for þam	I rest because I am tired. Ic reste for þam þe ic eom gewæht.
with	preposition	mid	I come with my friend. Ic cume mid minum freonde.
without	preposition	butan	He goes without money. He gæð butan feo.
for	preposition	for	This bread is for you. Þes hlaf is for þe.
from	preposition	of	We come from home. We cumað of hame.
to	preposition	to	I go to the house. Ic ga to þam huse.