The Icelandic Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Ancient Letters & More

Q: How many letters are in the Icelandic alphabet?

The Icelandic alphabet has 32 letters [1] . This includes standard Latin letters plus unique Icelandic characters like ð (eth), þ (thorn), æ, and ö that preserve ancient Nordic sounds.

Q: What are ð (eth) and þ (thorn) in Icelandic?

These are ancient letters with fascinating history : • Ð/ð (eth) sounds like "th" in "that" or "the" • Þ/þ (thorn) sounds like "th" in "think" or "thick" • Both existed in Old English but disappeared centuries ago • Iceland kept them alive, making it a linguistic time capsule !

Q: Why does Icelandic preserve so many old letters?

Iceland's linguistic conservation has several reasons: • Geographic isolation protected the language from outside influence • Cultural pride in preserving Old Norse heritage • Literary tradition dating back to medieval sagas • Language policy that creates new words rather than borrowing It's like having a medieval language that never stopped evolving !

Q: How do you type Icelandic letters on a keyboard?

There are several ways to type Icelandic characters: • Icelandic keyboard layout - the standard way in Iceland • Alt codes on Windows (Alt+0240 for ð, Alt+0254 for þ) • Character map or special character menus • Online keyboards for occasional use Many Icelanders are experts at switching between layouts !

Q: Is Icelandic related to other Scandinavian languages?

Yes, but it's quite special : • Most similar to Faroese (another island language) • Related to Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish but less mutually intelligible • Closest to Old Norse - modern Icelanders can read medieval texts! • Unique grammar with four cases and complex verb conjugations It's like the classical music of Germanic languages !

Q: Can I learn to read Icelandic letters easily?

With proper approach , it's definitely doable: • Start with familiar letters - most are like English • Master the unique ones - ð, þ, æ, ö are key • Practice pronunciation - each letter has consistent sounds • Learn basic words like "takk" (thanks) and "halló" (hello) Remember, you're learning one of the world's most historic alphabets !

Icelandic Alphabet at a Glance

32 letters: 14 vowels and 18 consonants ^[1]
Spoken by approximately 350,000 people primarily in Iceland ^[2]
Official language of Iceland ^[2]
Features unique ancient letters: ð (eth), þ (thorn), æ, and ö ^[1]
Most linguistically conservative North Germanic language ^[3]
Preserves sounds that have disappeared from other Germanic languages ^[3]
Language standards maintained by Íslenska málstöðin and University of Iceland ^[3]

Icelandic Vowels (Uppercase)

[AH]

[OW]

[EH]

[YEH]

[IH]

[EE]

[OH]

[UH]

[OO]

[IH]

[EE]

[EYE]

[UH]

[AH]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel A, pronounced like "a" in "father"

[OW]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel Á, pronounced like "ow" in "cow"

[EH]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel E, pronounced like "e" in "bed"

[YEH]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel É, pronounced like "ye" in "yes"

[IH]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel I, pronounced like "i" in "sit"

[EE]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel Í, pronounced like "ee" in "see"

[OH]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel O, pronounced like "o" in "sort"

[OH]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel Ó, pronounced like "o" in "note"

[UH]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel U, pronounced like "u" in "put"

[OO]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel Ú, pronounced like "oo" in "moon"

[IH]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel Y, pronounced like "i" in "sit"

[EE]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel Ý, pronounced like "ee" in "see"

[EYE]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel Æ, pronounced like "eye" or "i" in "kite"

[UH]

Uppercase Icelandic vowel Ö, pronounced like "u" in "hurt"

Icelandic Vowels (Lowercase)

[ah]

[ow]

[eh]

[yeh]

[ih]

[ee]

[oh]

[uh]

[oo]

[ih]

[ee]

[eye]

[uh]

[ah]

Icelandic vowel a, pronounced like "a" in "father"

[ow]

Icelandic vowel á, pronounced like "ow" in "cow"

[eh]

Icelandic vowel e, pronounced like "e" in "bed"

[yeh]

Icelandic vowel é, pronounced like "ye" in "yes"

[ih]

Icelandic vowel i, pronounced like "i" in "sit"

[ee]

Icelandic vowel í, pronounced like "ee" in "see"

[oh]

Icelandic vowel o, pronounced like "o" in "sort"

[oh]

Icelandic vowel ó, pronounced like "o" in "note"

[uh]

Icelandic vowel u, pronounced like "u" in "put"

[oo]

Icelandic vowel ú, pronounced like "oo" in "moon"

[ih]

Icelandic vowel y, pronounced like "i" in "sit"

[ee]

Icelandic vowel ý, pronounced like "ee" in "see"

[eye]

Icelandic vowel æ, pronounced like "eye" or "i" in "kite"

[uh]

Icelandic vowel ö, pronounced like "u" in "hurt"

Icelandic Consonant Letters

The Icelandic alphabet contains 24 consonants including the ancient letters ð (eth) and þ (thorn). These consonants preserve sounds from Old Norse and create Iceland's distinctive linguistic identity.

For example:

In the word "þakka" (to thank), an everyday Icelandic word, the ancient letter þ (thorn) combines with consonants k and vowels a to create a sound that echoes through 1,000 years of Nordic tradition.

Icelandic Consonants (Uppercase)

[B]

[S]

[D]

[TH]

[F]

[G]

[H]

[Y]

[K]

[L]

[M]

[N]

[P]

[KV]

[R]

[S]

[T]

[V]

[KS]

[S]

[TH]

[B]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant B, pronounced like "b" in "boy"

[S]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant C (rare, only in loanwords), pronounced like "s"

[D]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant D, pronounced like "d" in "dog"

[TH]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant Ð (eth), pronounced like "th" in "that"

[F]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant F, pronounced like "f" in "fish"

[G]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant G, pronounced like "g" in "go"

[H]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant H, pronounced like "h" in "house"

[Y]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant J, pronounced like "y" in "yes"

[K]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant K, pronounced like "k" in "key"

[L]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant L, pronounced like "l" in "light"

[M]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant M, pronounced like "m" in "man"

[N]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant N, pronounced like "n" in "name"

[P]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant P, pronounced like "p" in "peace"

[KV]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant Q (rare, only in loanwords), pronounced like "kv"

[R]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant R, rolled or tapped r sound

[S]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant S, pronounced like "s" in "sun"

[T]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant T, pronounced like "t" in "top"

[V]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant V, pronounced like "v" in "very"

[V]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant W (rare, only in loanwords), pronounced like "v"

[KS]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant X (rare, only in loanwords), pronounced like "ks"

[S]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant Z (rare, only in loanwords), pronounced like "s"

[TH]

Uppercase Icelandic consonant Þ (thorn), pronounced like "th" in "thing"

Icelandic Consonants (Lowercase)

[b]

[s]

[d]

[th]

[f]

[g]

[h]

[y]

[k]

[l]

[m]

[n]

[p]

[kv]

[r]

[s]

[t]

[v]

[ks]

[s]

[th]

[b]

Icelandic consonant b, pronounced like "b" in "boy"

[s]

Icelandic consonant c (rare, only in loanwords), pronounced like "s"

[d]

Icelandic consonant d, pronounced like "d" in "dog"

[th]

Icelandic consonant ð (eth), pronounced like "th" in "that"

[f]

Icelandic consonant f, pronounced like "f" in "fish"

[g]

Icelandic consonant g, pronounced like "g" in "go"

[h]

Icelandic consonant h, pronounced like "h" in "house"

[y]

Icelandic consonant j, pronounced like "y" in "yes"

[k]

Icelandic consonant k, pronounced like "k" in "key"

[l]

Icelandic consonant l, pronounced like "l" in "light"

[m]

Icelandic consonant m, pronounced like "m" in "man"

[n]

Icelandic consonant n, pronounced like "n" in "name"

[p]

Icelandic consonant p, pronounced like "p" in "peace"

[kv]

Icelandic consonant q (rare, only in loanwords), pronounced like "kv"

[r]

Icelandic consonant r, rolled or tapped r sound

[s]

Icelandic consonant s, pronounced like "s" in "sun"

[t]

Icelandic consonant t, pronounced like "t" in "top"

[v]

Icelandic consonant v, pronounced like "v" in "very"

[v]

Icelandic consonant w (rare, only in loanwords), pronounced like "v"

[ks]

Icelandic consonant x (rare, only in loanwords), pronounced like "ks"

[s]

Icelandic consonant z (rare, only in loanwords), pronounced like "s"

[th]

Icelandic consonant þ (thorn), pronounced like "th" in "thing"

[núll]

[einn]

[tveir]

[threer]

[fyoh-rir]

[fimm]

[sex]

[syuh]

[ow-ta]

[nee-oo]

[núll]

Zero in Icelandic

[einn]

One in Icelandic

[tveir]

Two in Icelandic

[threer]

Three in Icelandic

[fyoh-rir]

Four in Icelandic

[fimm]

Five in Icelandic

[sex]

Six in Icelandic

[syuh]

Seven in Icelandic

[ow-ta]

Eight in Icelandic

[nee-oo]

Nine in Icelandic

Comma (decimal separator)

;

–

—

(

)

[

]

{

}

€

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Icelandic alphabet?

What are ð (eth) and þ (thorn) in Icelandic?

Why does Icelandic preserve so many old letters?

How do you type Icelandic letters on a keyboard?

Is Icelandic related to other Scandinavian languages?

Can I learn to read Icelandic letters easily?

References:

[1] Íslenska málstöðin. "Íslenska stafrófið". Retrieved from Icelandic Language Institute
[2] Statistics Iceland. "Population by mother tongue". Retrieved from Iceland Statistics
[3] University of Iceland. "Icelandic Language and Literature". Retrieved from University of Iceland