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 Vowel Letters
The Icelandic alphabet includes distinctive vowels like á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, æ, and ö that preserve ancient Norse pronunciation and create the melodic sound of modern Icelandic.
Icelandic Vowels (Uppercase)
A
[AH]
Á
[OW]
E
[EH]
É
[YEH]
I
[IH]
Í
[EE]
O
[OH]
Ó
[OH]
U
[UH]
Ú
[OO]
Y
[IH]
Ý
[EE]
Æ
[EYE]
Ö
[UH]
Icelandic Vowels (Lowercase)
a
[ah]
á
[ow]
e
[eh]
é
[yeh]
i
[ih]
í
[ee]
o
[oh]
ó
[oh]
u
[uh]
ú
[oo]
y
[ih]
ý
[ee]
æ
[eye]
ö
[uh]
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
[B]
C
[S]
D
[D]
Ð
[TH]
F
[F]
G
[G]
H
[H]
J
[Y]
K
[K]
L
[L]
M
[M]
N
[N]
P
[P]
Q
[KV]
R
[R]
S
[S]
T
[T]
V
[V]
W
[V]
X
[KS]
Z
[S]
Þ
[TH]
Icelandic Consonants (Lowercase)
b
[b]
c
[s]
d
[d]
ð
[th]
f
[f]
g
[g]
h
[h]
j
[y]
k
[k]
l
[l]
m
[m]
n
[n]
p
[p]
q
[kv]
r
[r]
s
[s]
t
[t]
v
[v]
w
[v]
x
[ks]
z
[s]
þ
[th]
Icelandic Numbers
0
[núll]
1
[einn]
2
[tveir]
3
[threer]
4
[fyoh-rir]
5
[fimm]
6
[sex]
7
[syuh]
8
[ow-ta]
9
[nee-oo]
,
Punctuation and Symbols
.
,
;
:
?
!
'
"
«
»
-
–
—
_
(
)
[
]
{
}
/
\
|
@
#
€
kr
%
^
&
*
+
=
<
>
`
~
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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
Sambhu Raj Singh · Danish alphabet with 29 letters including æ, ø, å...
Norwegian alphabet with 29 letters including æ, ø, å...
Swedish alphabet with 29 letters including å, ä, ö...
Learn German letters including unique umlauts ä, ö, ü and sharp ß
Explore Icelandic letters with ancient runes and Nordic heritage...