How to Create a Fictional Alphabet

Last Updated: June 21, 2022

Sometimes people want to create fictional languages, maybe for a book that they're writing, a way to send hidden messages, or even just for fun. Making an effective alphabet can be hard though. This article will push you in the right direction.

Steps

1
Figure out what you want your alphabet to look like. Ask yourself, are you looking for something that looks complicated and artsy? Do you want something that looks old and Runic? Or do you even want to make something completely new, like an alien language? Deciding now is crucial, as then it can be easier to draw inspiration and to choose your shapes.
2
Get inspiration. Look at alphabets that have been already made. Check out some real life alphabets, like some of the Sri Lankan alphabets, Gothic, and even fictional languages, like Klingon, Gallifreyan, or Hylian. You can also base certain letters, punctuation marks, etc. off simple things such as shapes. You can even base your alphabet off of the existing English alphabet, or you can get more creative if you'd like.

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3
Doodle ideas. Mix existing letters together, overlap shapes on top of each other, or just doodle random symbols. Often times it can become easier to create letters if you draw the shape from other objects, or even if you close your eyes and make a squiggle. Keep doodling and put aside letters, shapes, and symbols that you like, and don't forget symbols for commas, periods, apostrophes, etc.
- Be wary of adding any letters that you don't like the look of. If you feel it doesn't have enough in it or it has too much, you will actually feel less inclined to memorize that alphabet. Make sure that each letter brings satisfaction, or at least doesn't make you annoyed.
4
Decide how many symbols will be in your alphabet. The English alphabet has 26 letters, but yours can have 30, 50, even more. Whether you're creating an alphabet for a fictional story or to write secret messages, your alphabet can have even 4 letters if you'd like. Choose the number of symbols you want to be in your alphabet, then pick the shapes and symbols you like best.
5
Decide what letter each symbol will represent. If a symbol you created looks like the letter A, it doesn't have to be. You can make it mean a completely different letter if you'd like. Use the English alphabet for reference. To reduce confusion, write each of the English alphabet's letters and then draw the symbol beneath the letter you want that symbol to represent.
- If your alphabet doesn't sound the same as the English alphabet, you can still use English letters for reference, but create different types of noises that each of your made-up letters represent. You can create your own language with this fictional alphabet.
6
Write sentences with your fictional alphabet once you have decided what you want each letter to represent. Include them in your stories if you'd like. You can memorize the letters by doing this, and if there is a particular letter that you find annoying to use, ditch it and replace it. Although this might seem like tedious work, you do get a feeling of satisfaction when you complete the whole alphabet.

Community Q&A

Question

Should I also create new symbols for punctuation?

Jude Sholdice

Community Answer

It's great if you do, as it can certainly add another layer to your alphabet. But keep in mind that punctuation is used very frequently, so it may be best to use a simple design for these symbols. But it's really up to how you want your alphabet to look.
Question

Is it easy to write and learn quickly?

Jude Sholdice

Community Answer

It depends on you. If you have a good memory or work hard on learning an alphabet, you can pick it up in no time. But dedication is important for retaining the information; it can be easy to forget an alphabet if you never use it.
Question

How do I develop a cursive version of my made-up alphabet?

Jude Sholdice

Community Answer

This largely depends on how your language already looks. However, all cursive means is that the letters are joined together to write faster. So try to write words without lifting your pen. There may be a lot of trial and error, especially if your alphabet has highly varied characters.

Warnings

Although a tendency can be to make big and complicated letters that look really nice, keep efficiency in mind. If you want to create a letter with eight lines, that's fine, but remember that it could take a lot of space on paper and it could take a long time to write, making it tedious.

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