Irish Alphabet

The Irish alphabet consists of 18 letters using the Latin script with acute accents (fada) to indicate long vowels.

A a
A
a
Á á
Á
aa
B b
Beith
b
C c
Coll
k
D d
Dair
d
E e
Eabhadh
e
É é
É
ee
F f
Fearn
f
G g
Gort
g
H h
hÚath
h
I i
Iogh
i
Í í
Í
ii
L l
Luis
l
M m
Muin
m
N n
Nion
n
O o
Onn
o
Ó ó
Ó
oo
P p
Peith
p
R r
Ruis
r
S s
Sail
s
T t
Tinne
t
U u
Úr
u
Ú ú
Ú
uu

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Use our free virtual Irish keyboard to type online. On-screen keyboard for easy typing

About the Irish Alphabet

The Irish alphabet traditionally has 18 letters (no j, k, q, v, w, x, y, z in native words). It uses acute accents called fada (á, é, í, ó, ú) to indicate long vowels. Irish uses lenition (séimhiú) marked by h after consonants, and eclipsis (urú) where consonants change pronunciation. The alphabet is used for Irish Gaelic, a Celtic language.

History

The Irish alphabet evolved from Latin script introduced by Christian missionaries. The traditional 18-letter alphabet was standardized in the 20th century. The fada (acute accent) system replaced earlier dot-above notation. Modern Irish uses the Roman alphabet but maintains its unique orthographic features.

Key Features

  • Written from left to right
  • 18 traditional letters
  • Fada marks long vowels
  • Lenition and eclipsis systems
  • Celtic language
  • No j, k, q, v, w, x, y, z in native words