The alphabet at a glance
This chart follows the 38-letter order used in the 1868–69 printed books, followed by the two additional letters OI/OY and EW found in some other versions. The spoken examples are based on a non-rhotic southern British reference accent; other British accents and historical Utah pronunciations differ.
“Long” and “short” are traditional character names, not instructions to stretch or shorten a sound when speaking. What matters when you are writing is the example word and the sound it contains.
| Printed letter | Small letter | Name | Sound (reference accent) | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 𐐀 | 𐐨 | EE | /iː/ | see — 𐑅𐐨 |
| 𐐁 | 𐐩 | AY | /eɪ/ | day — 𐐼𐐩 |
| 𐐂 | 𐐪 | AH | /ɑː/ | palm — 𐐹𐐪𐑋 |
| 𐐃 | 𐐫 | AW | /ɔː/ | paw — 𐐹𐐫 |
| 𐐄 | 𐐬 | OH | /əʊ/ | no — 𐑌𐐬 |
| 𐐅 | 𐐭 | OO | /uː/ | moon — 𐑋𐐭𐑌 |
| 𐐆 | 𐐮 | IH | /ɪ/ | sit — 𐑅𐐮𐐻 |
| 𐐇 | 𐐯 | EH | /ɛ/ | met — 𐑋𐐯𐐻 |
| 𐐈 | 𐐰 | A | /æ/ | cat — 𐐿𐐰𐐻 |
| 𐐉 | 𐐱 | O (cot) | /ɒ/ | cot — 𐐿𐐱𐐻 |
| 𐐊 | 𐐲 | UH | /ʌ/ | cup — 𐐿𐐲𐐹 |
| 𐐋 | 𐐳 | OO (good) | /ʊ/ | good — 𐑀𐐳𐐼 |
| 𐐌 | 𐐴 | EYE | /aɪ/ | pie — 𐐹𐐴 |
| 𐐍 | 𐐵 | OW | /aʊ/ | cow — 𐐿𐐵 |
| 𐐎 | 𐐶 | WOO | /w/ | wag — 𐐶𐐰𐑀 |
| 𐐏 | 𐐷 | YEE | /j/ | yes — 𐐷𐐯𐑅 |
| 𐐐 | 𐐸 | H | /h/ | hat — 𐐸𐐰𐐻 |
| 𐐑 | 𐐹 | PEE | /p/ | pat — 𐐹𐐰𐐻 |
| 𐐒 | 𐐺 | BEE | /b/ | bee — 𐐺𐐨 |
| 𐐓 | 𐐻 | TEE | /t/ | ten — 𐐻𐐯𐑌 |
| 𐐔 | 𐐼 | DEE | /d/ | dog — 𐐼𐐱𐑀 |
| 𐐕 | 𐐽 | CHEE | /tʃ/ | chin — 𐐽𐐮𐑌 |
| 𐐖 | 𐐾 | JEE | /dʒ/ | jump — 𐐾𐐲𐑋𐐹 |
| 𐐗 | 𐐿 | KAY | /k/ | kite — 𐐿𐐴𐐻 |
| 𐐘 | 𐑀 | GAY | /ɡ/ | go — 𐑀𐐬 |
| 𐐙 | 𐑁 | EF | /f/ | fat — 𐑁𐐰𐐻 |
| 𐐚 | 𐑂 | VEE | /v/ | van — 𐑂𐐰𐑌 |
| 𐐛 | 𐑃 | ETH | /θ/ | thin — 𐑃𐐮𐑌 |
| 𐐜 | 𐑄 | THEE | /ð/ | then — 𐑄𐐯𐑌 |
| 𐐝 | 𐑅 | ES | /s/ | sun — 𐑅𐐲𐑌 |
| 𐐞 | 𐑆 | ZEE | /z/ | zip — 𐑆𐐮𐐹 |
| 𐐟 | 𐑇 | ESH | /ʃ/ | fish — 𐑁𐐮𐑇 |
| 𐐠 | 𐑈 | ZHEE | /ʒ/ | beige — 𐐺𐐩𐑈 |
| 𐐡 | 𐑉 | ER | /r/ | rat — 𐑉𐐰𐐻 |
| 𐐢 | 𐑊 | EL | /l/ | love — 𐑊𐐲𐑂 |
| 𐐣 | 𐑋 | EM | /m/ | mum — 𐑋𐐲𐑋 |
| 𐐤 | 𐑌 | EN | /n/ | ten — 𐐻𐐯𐑌 |
| 𐐥 | 𐑍 | ENG | /ŋ/ | sing — 𐑅𐐮𐑍 |
| 𐐦 | 𐑎 | OY | /ɔɪ/ | boy — 𐐺𐑎 |
| 𐐧 | 𐑏 | EW | /juː/ | few — 𐑁𐑏 |
Three distinctions that matter
Cat, cot and caught are not the same vowel. The letters 𐐰, 𐐱 and 𐐫 are separate in this reference pronunciation. In many modern American accents, some of these vowels have merged.
Thin and then have different TH sounds. Use 𐑃 for thin and 𐑄 for then. Sing has one ending consonant. The character 𐑍 represents the sound /ŋ/, not an N followed by a hard G.
The extra OY and EW letters are historically useful but not necessary for reading the standard 1869 books: they were outside that 38-character printed inventory. You may encounter spellings that use two characters instead.
Where to begin with the 40-letter chart
Learn the ordinary vowel and consonant inventory first. The special cases are easier when the basic script is familiar: 𐑎 represents the sound in boy, while 𐑏 represents the combined Y + OO sound in few. The 38-letter printed books did not use these as part of their standard inventory, so you may see historical equivalents with more than one letter.
When transcribing a historical manuscript, copy the writer’s own symbols rather than silently modernising their spelling to the reference accent used in this chart. A writing-system reference and a diplomatic transcription of an old text answer different questions.