Home›Languages›Script Used›Latin ScriptScriptLatin ScriptLAT-inAlso Known As Roman AlphabetAlphabetsReference and ClassificationVerifiedOrigin from 700 BCEThe Latin script is the most widely used writing system in the world, adapted by the Romans from the Etruscan alphabet, which was itself adapted from a Western Greek alphabet, ultimately tracing back to the Phoenician abjad. It originally had no letters J, U or W, added only in the medieval and early modern periods to distinguish sounds the classical Roman alphabet had left merged with I and V. Its spread beyond Europe follows almost exactly the map of European colonization and Christian missionary activity, which is why languages as different as English, Vietnamese and Swahili all write with the same base letterforms today, each with its own added diacritics or digraphs to cover sounds the original twenty-three Roman letters did not.FactsLatin ScriptConnectionsSourcesTake a Related QuizComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsScript TypeWell-attestedAlphabet 2DirectionalityWell-attestedLeft to right 2In Use Since (Year)Well-attestedfrom 700 BCE 1Approximate date of the earliest attested Old Italic forerunners of the Roman alphabet; the alphabet continued developing for centuries afterward.Directionality (class)Well-attestedLeft-to-right 1ClassificationScript StatusWell-attestedLiving (in Current Use) 1Classified 'living' per this entity's own cited source and standard scholarly consensus on the script's current use; checked 2026-09-27.Latin ScriptFilter Results91 entriesLanguage Family (Classification)AllAfro-Asiatic (3)Altaic (1)Atlantic-Congo (13)Austroasiatic (1)Austronesian (4)Aymaran (1)Balto-Slavic (4)Bantu (5)Bisayan (3)Central Pacific languages (2)Common Turkic (1)Cushitic (2)East Baltic (1)East Barito languages (1)English-based Creole (1)Eskimo-Aleut (2)French-based Creole (1)Gbe (2)Germanic (11)Guarani languages (1)Igboid languages (1)Indo-Aryan (2)Indo-European (14)Indo-Iranian (3)Khoisan (1)Macro-Somali languages (1)Malayo-Polynesian (10)Marquesic languages (1)Na-Dene (1)Niger-Congo (2)Nilo-Saharan (1)North Germanic (1)Northern Luzon languages (1)Oghuz (1)Oromoid languages (1)Pama-Nyungan (1)Potou-Tano languages (1)Quechuan (1)Senegambian languages (2)Slavic (2)South Slavic (4)Southern Bantu languages (4)Tahitic languages (1)Tongic languages (1)Trans-New Guinea (1)Tupian (1)Turkic (4)Uralic (3)Uto-Aztecan (1)West Central German (1)West Slavic (3)Western Iranian (1)RegionAllAlbania, Kosovo (1)Andorra, France, Italy, Spain (1)Baltic (1)Benin, Nigeria, Togo (1)Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Argentina (1)Bosnia, Herzegovina and Sandžak (1)Botswana, South Africa (1)Burundi (1)Central Asia (1)Eastern Visayas (Philippines) (1)Enga Province, Papua New Guinea (1)Faroe Islands (1)Fiji (1)Finland (1)France and Spain (1)Ghana (1)Ghana and Togo (West Africa) (1)Greenland, with recognized minority status in Denmark (1)Haiti (1)Hawaii (Niihau) (1)Horn of Africa (1)Iceland (1)Indonesia (1)Iranian Azerbaijan, South Caucasus (1)Latium (the lower Tiber area around Rome, Italy) (1)Lesotho, South Africa (1)Lithuania (1)Madagascar and Mayotte (1)Malawi, eastern Zambia, Mozambique (1)Malta (1)Maritime Southeast Asia and the Malay Peninsula (1)Namibia, Botswana and South Africa (1)New Zealand (1)Northern Europe (1)Norway (1)Oromia (1)Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil (1)Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (1)Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda (1)Sahel (1)Samoa, American Samoa (1)Senegambia (1)Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Croatia (1)Southeastern Europe (1)Southern Africa (1)Sweden and Finland (1)The Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, France (Nord) (1)Tonga (1)United Kingdom (Wales, England), Argentina (Chubut Province) (1)Vietnam, where it is the official language (1)West Africa (1)Western Europe (1)Western part of Java and surrounding areas (1)StatusAllExtinct (2)Liturgical / Learned Use Only (1)Living (88)Speaker Count BandAll0.000000 (2)300.000000 (1)7400.000000 (1)38000.000000 (1)50000.000000 (1)57000.000000 (1)69000.000000 (1)70000.000000 (1)71968.000000 (1)170000.000000 (1)187000.000000 (1)200000.000000 (1)230000.000000 (1)339210.000000 (1)390000.000000 (1)400000.000000 (1)430000.000000 (1)538300.000000 (1)570000.000000 (1)806000.000000 (1)1100000.000000 (1)1200000.000000 (1)1500000.000000 (1)1700000.000000 (2)2300000.000000 (1)2500000.000000 (1)3100000.000000 (1)3600000.000000 (1)4000000.000000 (1)4100000.000000 (1)4320000.000000 (1)4600000.000000 (1)4750000.000000 (1)5000000.000000 (2)5100000.000000 (1)5500000.000000 (1)5600000.000000 (1)6000000.000000 (1)6500000.000000 (1)6800000.000000 (1)7000000.000000 (1)7100000.000000 (1)7200000.000000 (1)7500000.000000 (1)8000000.000000 (1)8200000.000000 (2)8700000.000000 (1)8900000.000000 (1)9100000.000000 (1)9600000.000000 (1)10000000.000000 (1)10700000.000000 (1)12000000.000000 (2)13000000.000000 (2)15000000.000000 (1)16000000.000000 (1)20000000.000000 (1)22000000.000000 (1)24000000.000000 (2)25000000.000000 (2)29000000.000000 (1)32000000.000000 (1)34000000.000000 (1)36000000.000000 (1)37000000.000000 (1)40000000.000000 (1)45500000.000000 (1)50000000.000000 (1)60000000.000000 (1)65000000.000000 (1)80000000.000000 (1)86000000.000000 (1)87000000.000000 (1)90000000.000000 (1)94000000.000000 (1)121000000.000000 (1)135000000.000000 (1)252000000.000000 (1)267000000.000000 (1)312000000.000000 (1)560000000.000000 (1)1500000000.000000 (1)Period Start YearAll-75 (1)301 (1)450 (2)683 (1)701 (2)765 (1)800 (3)801 (2)842 (1)901 (1)1001 (5)1100 (2)1101 (1)1136 (1)1196 (1)1201 (3)1207 (1)1225 (1)1301 (2)1401 (1)1436 (1)1450 (1)1462 (1)1501 (1)1521 (2)1530 (1)1560 (1)1601 (3)1663 (1)1711 (1)1757 (1)1777 (1)1801 (2)1823 (1)1829 (1)1835 (1)1837 (1)1849 (1)Descends FromAllAcadian French (1)African American Vernacular English (1)Andalusian Spanish (1)Angolan Portuguese (1)Australian English (1)Austrian German (1)Bavarian German (1)Belgian French (1)Brabantian (1)Brazilian Portuguese (1)Cajun French (1)Canadian English (1)Canarian Spanish (1)Caribbean Spanish (1)Chilean Spanish (1)Cockney (1)Colombian Spanish (1)European Portuguese (1)Flemish (1)Geordie (1)Hiberno-English (1)Indian English (1)Jamaican Patois (1)Mexican Spanish (1)Neapolitan (1)New Zealand English (1)Newfoundland English (1)Nigerian English (1)Peruvian Spanish (1)Quebec French (1)Received Pronunciation (1)Rioplatense Spanish (1)Scanian (1)Scottish English (1)Scouse (1)Sicilian (1)Singlish (1)South African English (1)Southern American English (1)Swabian German (1)Swiss French (1)Swiss German (1)Upper Saxon German (1)Venetian (1)Venezuelan Spanish (1)Welsh English (1)Yorkshire Dialect (1)Language KindAllCritically Endangered (1)Definitely Endangered (3)Extinct (3)Safe (58)Vulnerable (8)Official StatusAllCo-Official Language (9)National Language (Symbolic, Not Sole Official) (7)No Official Status (4)Official Language (54)Recognized Regional or Minority Language (6)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 91AkanLatin ScriptAlbanianLatin ScriptAymaraLatin ScriptAzerbaijaniLatin ScriptBasqueLatin ScriptBosnianLatin ScriptCatalanLatin ScriptCebuanoLatin ScriptChichewaLatin ScriptCroatianLatin ScriptCzechLatin ScriptDanishLatin ScriptDutchLatin ScriptEngaLatin ScriptEnglishLatin ScriptEstonianLatin ScriptEweLatin ScriptFaroeseLatin ScriptFijianLatin ScriptFinnishLatin ScriptFonLatin ScriptFrenchLatin ScriptFulaLatin ScriptGermanLatin ScriptGreenlandicLatin ScriptGuaraniLatin ScriptHaitian CreoleLatin ScriptHausaLatin ScriptHawaiianLatin ScriptHiligaynonLatin ScriptHungarianLatin ScriptIcelandicLatin ScriptIgboLatin ScriptIlocanoLatin ScriptIndonesianLatin ScriptInuktitutLatin ScriptIrishLatin ScriptItalianLatin ScriptKashmiriLatin ScriptKhoekhoeLatin ScriptKinyarwandaLatin ScriptKirundiLatin ScriptKurdishLatin ScriptLatinLatin ScriptLatvianLatin ScriptLevantine ArabicLatin ScriptLithuanianLatin ScriptLuxembourgishLatin ScriptMalagasyLatin ScriptMalayLatin ScriptMalteseLatin ScriptMaoriLatin ScriptNahuatlLatin ScriptNavajoLatin ScriptNigerian PidginLatin ScriptNorwegianLatin ScriptOld EnglishLatin ScriptOld NorseLatin ScriptOromoLatin ScriptPolishLatin ScriptPortugueseLatin ScriptQuechuaLatin ScriptRomaniLatin ScriptRomanianLatin ScriptSamoanLatin ScriptScottish GaelicLatin ScriptSerbianLatin ScriptSesothoLatin ScriptShonaLatin ScriptSlovakLatin ScriptSlovenianLatin ScriptSomaliLatin ScriptSpanishLatin ScriptSundaneseLatin ScriptSwahiliLatin ScriptSwedishLatin ScriptTagalogLatin ScriptTonganLatin ScriptTswanaLatin ScriptTurkishLatin ScriptTurkmenLatin ScriptUzbekLatin ScriptVietnameseLatin ScriptWarayLatin ScriptWelshLatin ScriptWestern Desert LanguageLatin ScriptWolofLatin ScriptXhosaLatin ScriptYorubaLatin ScriptZarmaLatin ScriptZuluLatin ScriptConnectionsHeld DifferentlyRunic Alphabet (Elder Futhark), Scripts Scholarly debate Held DifferentlyWhy this is disputed. Early runes are generally agreed to derive from an Old Italic alphabet, but which one is disputed: Raetic, Venetic, Etruscan and Old Latin have all been proposed; Scandinavian scholars tend to favor Latin itself over the Rhaetic candidates.Source Wikipedia: Runes (Elder Futhark)tier 2Descends FromGreek Script, Scripts Well-attested ConnectedBy way of Euboean Greek colonists and the Etruscan alphabet in Italy, not by direct adoption.Source The Cambridge Encyclopedia of LanguageDavid Crystal (editor)Old Italic Script, Scripts Well-attested InfluencedCherokee Syllabary, Scripts Well-attested ConnectedSequoyah, unable to read English, borrowed roughly two dozen letterforms he had seen in a printed English spelling book, along with some Greek and Hebrew derived shapes, but assigned them entirely different Cherokee syllable values. The syllabary is not descended from the Latin alphabet; it borrows some of its shapes without any of its sound values.Source Cherokee Phoenixtier 1Ogham, Scripts Scholarly debate Why this is disputed. Ogham's origin is scholarly disputed: most scholars favour the Latin alphabet as the model, though the Elder Futhark and the Greek alphabet also have supporters.Source Wikipedia: Oghamtier 2Is Of Script TypeAlphabet, Scripts Well-attested Long-Form ArticlesTwo Centuries Before a Missionary's Script Became National, Articles Well-attested Script OfAkan, Languages Well-attested Akan is standardly written in a Latin-based orthography (Twi/Fante conventions).Albanian, Languages Well-attested Aymara, Languages Well-attested Aymara is standardly written in a Latin-based alphabet.Azerbaijani, Languages Well-attested Basque, Languages Well-attested Basque is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Bosnian, Languages Well-attested Standard Bosnian is written primarily in the Latin alphabet (Gaj's Latin alphabet).Catalan, Languages Well-attested Cebuano, Languages Well-attested Cebuano is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Chichewa, Languages Well-attested Chichewa (Nyanja) is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Croatian, Languages Well-attested Czech, Languages Well-attested Source Omniglot: The Online Encyclopedia of Writing Systems and Languagestier 2Danish, Languages Well-attested Dutch, Languages Well-attested Enga, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Enga LanguageEnglish, Languages Well-attested Source Omniglot: The Online Encyclopedia of Writing Systems and Languagestier 2Estonian, Languages Well-attested Ewe, Languages Well-attested Ewe is standardly written in a Latin-based alphabet with additional IPA-derived letters.Faroese, Languages Well-attested Faroese is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Fijian, Languages Well-attested Fijian is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Finnish, Languages Well-attested Fon, Languages Well-attested Fon is standardly written in a Latin-based alphabet.French, Languages Well-attested Fula, Languages Well-attested Fula (Fulani) is standardly written in the Latin alphabet today (historically also in Arabic-derived Ajami script).German, Languages Well-attested Greenlandic, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Greenlandic LanguageGuarani, Languages Well-attested Guarani is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Haitian Creole, Languages Well-attested Haitian Creole is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Hausa, Languages Well-attested Modern Hausa is predominantly written in the Latin-based Boko orthography; Ajami (Arabic-based) remains in use for religious and some traditional writing.Hawaiian, Languages Well-attested Hawaiian is standardly written in the Latin alphabet (with the 'okina and kahako).Hiligaynon, Languages Well-attested Hiligaynon is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Hungarian, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Hungarian LanguageIcelandic, Languages Well-attested Igbo, Languages Well-attested Igbo is standardly written in the Latin alphabet (Onwu orthography).Ilocano, Languages Well-attested Ilocano is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Indonesian, Languages Well-attested Inuktitut, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Inuktitut Languagetier 2Irish, Languages Well-attested Italian, Languages Well-attested Kashmiri, Languages Well-attested Kashmiri is occasionally romanized, but its official scripts are Perso-Arabic (Jammu and Kashmir) and Devanagari (used in India); recorded here for the Latin-based transliteration convention used in linguistic literature.Khoekhoe, Languages Well-attested Latin augmented with click letters (the Lepsius letters later adopted as IPA symbols) for the language click consonants.Source Wikipedia: Khoekhoe LanguageKinyarwanda, Languages Well-attested Kinyarwanda is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Kirundi, Languages Well-attested Kirundi is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Kurdish, Languages Well-attested Kurdish is biscriptal: the Kurmanji dialect is standardly written in a Latin-based alphabet.Latin, Languages Well-attested Source Omniglot: The Online Encyclopedia of Writing Systems and Languagestier 2Latvian, Languages Well-attested Latvian is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Levantine Arabic, Languages Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Levantine Arabictier 2Lithuanian, Languages Well-attested Luxembourgish, Languages Well-attested Luxembourgish is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Malagasy, Languages Well-attested Malagasy is standardly written in the Latin alphabet.Malay, Languages Well-attested Modern Malay is predominantly written in the Latin-based Rumi script; Jawi, an Arabic-based script, remains official for religious and traditional use in Malaysia and Brunei.Showing 1 to 50 of 91 in Script Of, page 1 of 2.12Next →Sources1. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of LanguageDavid Crystal (editor), Cambridge University Press, 20102. Omniglot: The Online Encyclopedia of Writing Systems and Languagestier 2View the SourceCherokee Phoenixtier 1Cherokee NationInfluenced: Cherokee SyllabaryView the SourceWikipedia: Runes (Elder Futhark)tier 2Ancestor Of: Runic Alphabet (Elder Futhark), Origin sectionQuote, Ancestor Of: Runic Alphabet (Elder Futhark), Origin sectionScandinavian scholars tend to favor derivation from the Latin alphabet itself over Rhaetic candidates.View the SourceWikipedia: Old Norsetier 2WikipediaScript Of: Old Norse, Writing systems sectionView the SourceWikipedia: Hungarian LanguageWikimedia FoundationScript Of: Hungarian, Infobox, writing system field (Latin script, Hungarian alphabet)View the SourceWikipedia: Enga LanguageWikimedia FoundationScript Of: Enga, Infobox, writing system field (Latin script)View the SourceWikipedia: Greenlandic LanguageWikimedia FoundationScript Of: Greenlandic, Lead section, written in the Latin script statementView the SourceWikipedia: Navajo LanguageWikimedia FoundationScript Of: Navajo, Infobox, writing system field (Latin, Navajo alphabet)View the SourceWikipedia: Western Desert LanguageWikimedia FoundationScript Of: Western Desert Language, Orthography section, several different orthographies in use statementView the SourceWikipedia: Vietnamese LanguageWikimedia FoundationScript Of: Vietnamese, Writing system section, chu Quoc ngu Latin-based alphabet statementView the SourceWikipedia: Khoekhoe LanguageWikimedia FoundationScript Of: Khoekhoe, Writing system section, Latin augmented with click letters statementView the SourceWikipedia: Zarma LanguageWikimedia FoundationScript Of: Zarma, Writing system section, primarily written in the Latin alphabet statementView the SourceWikipedia: Oghamtier 2Influenced: Ogham, Ogham, Theories of origin sectionQuote, Influenced: Ogham, Ogham, Theories of origin sectionThe largest number of scholars favour the Latin alphabet as this template, although the Elder Futhark and even the Greek alphabet have their supporters.View the SourceWikipedia: Turkish Languagetier 2WikipediaScript Of: Turkish, Infobox, Writing systemQuote, Script Of: Turkish, Infobox, Writing systemLatinView the SourceWikipedia: Nigerian Pidgintier 2Wikimedia FoundationScript Of: Nigerian Pidgin, Infobox: scriptQuote, Script Of: Nigerian Pidgin, Infobox: scriptLatinView the SourceWikipedia: Levantine Arabictier 2Wikimedia FoundationScript Of: Levantine Arabic, Infobox, Writing systemQuote, Script Of: Levantine Arabic, Infobox, Writing systemLatin scriptView the SourceWikipedia: Inuktitut Languagetier 2Wikimedia FoundationScript Of: Inuktitut, Infobox, Writing systemQuote, Script Of: Inuktitut, Infobox, Writing systemLatinView the SourceTake a Related QuizWriting Systems and Scripts: BeginnerIncludes a question about Latin Script.Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearChoose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.YearPresent700 BCEShow This Year