(via Claude)
Consonants:
- þ/ð = "th" as in "think" or "this"
- c = always hard "k"
- g = "g" at start of words, often "y" elsewhere
- sc = "sh"
- h = always pronounced (even before consonants)
Vowels (roughly):
- a = "ah" (father)
- æ = "a" (cat)
- e = "eh" (bed)
- i = "ee" (machine)
- o = "aw" (law)
- u = "oo" (boot)
- y = "ü" (German) or "i" sound
Examples:
- cyning = "KY-ning" (king)
- hwælweg = "HWAHL-way" (whale-road)
- beadoleoma = "BAY-ah-doh-LAY-oh-mah" (battle-light)
- wyrd = "WEERD" (fate)
- þe = "thuh" (the)
Awesome OE words
| Original Orthography | Phonetics | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| beadoleoma | BAY-ah-doh-LAY-oh-mah | battle-light (sword) |
| banwund | BAHN-woond | bone-wound (fatal wound) |
| hildeleoma | HIL-deh-LAY-oh-mah | war-light (sword/spear) |
| guthwine | GOOTH-wee-neh | war-friend (sword) |
| banhus | BAHN-hoos | bone-house (body) |
| wyrdstafas | WEERD-stah-vahs | fate-staves (letters/destiny) |
| deathscua | DAYTH-skoo-ah | death-shadow (deadly enemy) |
| hwælweg | HWAHL-wayg | whale-road (sea) |
| swanrad | SWAHN-rahd | swan-road (sea) |
| ythegewinn | EE-theh-geh-winn | wave-struggle (sailing) |
| sefan | SEH-vahn | heart/mind (seat of thought) |
| modceare | MOHD-kay-ah-reh | mind-care (sorrow) |
| hygebend | HEE-geh-bend | mind-bond (thought) |
| wordhord | WORD-hord | word-hoard (vocabulary) |
| goldgifa | GOLD-gee-vah | gold-giver (generous lord) |
| rinc | RINK | warrior |
| dryhten | DRIKH-ten | lord/master |
| wyrd | WEERD | fate (inexorable destiny) |
| cyning | KEE-ning | king |
Last edited on Aug 2025