How to Create a Custom Shavian Font with FontForge
This guide explains how to design a custom Shavian font using FontForge, covering the alphabet's history, phonetic principles, key Unicode ranges, and practical steps…
Read article48 letters One sound at a time
English sounds,
written clearly.
Meet Shavian: a phonemic alphabet built for English. Learn its shapes, convert familiar words, and start reading a different way.
- 48purpose-built letters
- 0capital letters
- U+10450Unicode ready
Conventional English
Hello, world.
same sounds
Shavian
𐑣𐑩𐑤𐑴, 𐑢𐑻𐑤𐑛.
𐑱
𐑤
𐑯
Learn it. Type it. Use it.
Four tools, one clear path.
Go from first contact to fluent recall without installing anything. Every tool works in your browser and on mobile.
01Open tool →
02Open chart →
03Start typing →
04Start a quiz →
EnglishHello→𐑣𐑩𐑤𐑴
Convert
Shavian Translator
Turn conventional English into phonemic Shavian text.𐑖/ʃ/ · Sure
Explore
Interactive Alphabet
Meet every glyph, sound, name, and letter pair.𐑐𐑰𐑐
Compose
On-Screen Keyboard
Type, copy, and download Shavian Unicode anywhere.𐑔
Practice
Flashcards & Quiz
Train sound recall, spelling, pairs, and reading speed.Your first ten minutes
Start with shapes.
Finish with words.
Shavian looks unfamiliar only at first. Its visual system becomes much easier when you learn related letters together, then immediately use them in short words.
- 01
Meet the letter families
See tall, deep, short, and compound forms as a coherent system.
- 02
Connect shape to sound
Use IPA, names, and example words to make each form memorable.
- 03
Read something real
Move from letters to words, short sentences, and timed passages.
Read and understand
Guides for curious minds.
Clear explanations about spelling, design, history, and everyday use.
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Read articleCan Shavian be used to write non‑English languages?
The Shavian alphabet was designed as a phonetic script for English, but its consistent mapping of sounds to letters makes it useful for transcribing…
Read articleShavian in Sign Language: Translating Sign Language Glosses into Shavian
Learn how to use the Shavian alphabet to render sign language glosses, convert English text, and type in Shavian with ShawAlphabet.com’s tools – a…
Read articleStep‑by‑Step: Creating a Custom Shavian Keyboard Layout for macOS Using Karabiner‑Elements
Learn how to build a Shavian keyboard for macOS with Karabiner‑Elements, convert English to Shavian, and master the 48‑letter script—your ultimate beginner’s guide.
Read articleCan Shavian Represent Spanish Sounds?
Shavian can represent Spanish sounds with its phonetic alphabet, but it was designed for English. Learn how to adapt it, type it, and convert…
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Beginner Guide
A step-by-step introduction to the Shavian alphabet.
Alphabet
Reference for the 48 Shavian letters, their names, and punctuation.
Spelling
Rules and patterns for converting English words into Shavian spelling.
History
The origins and development of the Shavian alphabet.
Comparisons
Side-by-side comparisons with other phonetic and spelling systems.
Keyboards
Keyboard layouts and input methods for Shavian.
Built for careful learning
Clear about what Shavian is—and what it isn’t.
Independent
An educational publication, not an official successor to any earlier project on this domain.
Technically precise
Our converter is presented as phonemic transcription—not translation of meaning.
Useful by design
348 articles and four browser-based tools connect reference with practice.
Ready when you are
Write your first line in Shavian.
No font installation, account, or setup required.