Script guide › Latin
How to recognize Icelandic
Icelandic is one of 35 languages in Grafle's Latin group. Here's what it looks like, where you'll see it on signs, and how to tell it apart from its lookalikes.
Spot it fast
- Þ (thorn) and ð (eth) — only Icelandic still uses both (Faroese kept just the ð). Either one is an instant giveaway.
What Icelandic looks like
Allir menn eru bornir frjálsir og jafnir að virðingu.
Halló, hvernig hefur þú það?
Þetta reddast alltaf einhvern veginn.
Latin scripts: The alphabet you're reading now. Each language gives itself away by its own special letters and accent marks.
Where you'll see it on signs
- Iceland
Easy to confuse with
- Norwegian — Icelandic keeps the ancient letters þ (thorn) and ð (eth); Norwegian never uses them.
- Danish — Icelandic has þ and ð; Danish doesn't. Both share æ and ø, so hunt for the thorn.