Icelandic orthography is the way in which Icelandic

Icelandic language

Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...

 words are spelt and how their spelling corresponds with their pronunciation.

Function of symbols

This section lists Icelandic

Icelandic language

Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...

 letters

Icelandic alphabet

The modern Icelandic alphabet consists of the following 32 letters:It is a Latin alphabet with diacritics, in addition it includes the character eth Ðð and the runic letter thorn Þþ...

 and letter combinations, and how to pronounce them using a narrow International Phonetic Alphabet

International Phonetic Alphabet

The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...

 transcription. .

Icelandic vowels and diphthongs may be either long or short, but this distinction is only relevant in stressed syllables: unstressed vowels are neutral in quantitative aspect. The vowel length is determined by the consonants that follow the vowel: if there is only one consonant (i.e. in a [VC] syllable), the vowel is long; if there are more than one ([VCC]), including geminates, the vowel is short. There are, however, some exceptions to this rule:

1. A vowel is long when the first consonant following it is [p t k s] and the second [v j r], vg. esja, vepja, akrar, vökvar, tvisvar.
2. A vowel is also long in monosyllabic substantives with a genitive -s whose stem ends in a single [p t k] following a vowel (vg. ráps, skaks), except if the final [p t k] is assimilated into the [s] (what sometimes happen, vg. báts).
3. The first word of a compound term preserves its long vowel if its following consonant is one of the group [p t k s], vg. matmál
4. The non-compound verbs vitkast and litka have long vowels.

The chart below is incomplete:

Grapheme	Phonetic realization	Examples
a	long: [äː] open central unrounded vowel Open central unrounded vowel The open central unrounded vowel, or low central unrounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound, used in many spoken languages. The International Phonetic Alphabet officially has no dedicated letter for this sound between front and back... short: [ɐ]	taska "handbag, suitcase" kaka "cake"
	before ng or nk [äu̯]	svangur "hungry"
á	[äu̯]	fár "damage"
au	[œy̯]	þau "they"
b	[p⁼] unaspirated voiceless bilabial plosive Voiceless bilabial plosive The voiceless bilabial plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is p...	bær "town"
d	[t⁼] unaspirated voiceless alveolar plosive Voiceless alveolar plosive The voiceless alveolar plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents voiceless dental, alveolar, and postalveolar plosives is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is t...	dalur "valley"
ð	between vowels or at end of word: [ð̠] voiced alveolar non-sibilant fricative	eða "or" bað "bath"
	before a voiceless consonant: [θ̠] voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative Voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative The voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative is a consonantal sound. As the International Phonetic Alphabet does not have separate symbols for the alveolar consonants , this sound is usually represented by , , or...	maðkur "maggot"
e	long: [eɛ̯] short: [ɛ]	skera "to cut" drekka "to drink"
	before ng or nk [ɛi̯]	drengur "boy"
é	[jɛ]	ég [jɛːɣ] "I"
ei, ey	[ɛi̯]	skeið "spoon"
f	normally: [f]	fundur "meeting"
	around vowels: [v]	lofa "promise"
	between ó and a vowel: Ø	prófa [prou̯ɐ] "test" gulrófa "rutabaga"
	before l or n: [p⁼]	Keflavík
fnd	[mt]	hefnd [hɛmt]
fnt	[m̥t] (voiceless)	nefnt [nɛm̥t]
g	beginning of word, before a, á, é, o, ó, u, ú and ö; or between vowel and l or n: [k⁼] unaspirated voiceless velar plosive Voiceless velar plosive The voiceless velar stop or voiceless velar plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is k....	glápa "have a look" logn "calm (weather)"
	beginning of word, before e, i, í, j, y, ý, æ, ei or ey: [c⁼] unaspirated voiceless palatal plosive Voiceless palatal plosive The voiceless palatal plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is c....	geta "can" gulrófa "rutabaga"
	after vowels; before a, u, ð or r; or at end of word: [ɣ] voiced velar fricative Voiced velar fricative The voiced velar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in various spoken languages. It is not found in English today, but did exist in Old English...	fluga "fly" lag "song"
	before t or s [x] voiceless velar fricative Voiceless velar fricative The voiceless velar fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The sound was part of the consonant inventory of Old English and can still be found in some dialects of English, most notably in Scottish English....	dragt "suit"
	after a vowel and before j or i [j] palatal approximant Palatal approximant The palatal approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is '...	segja "to say"
	between á ó ú and a or u Ø	fljúga "to fly"
gj	[c⁼] unaspirated voiceless palatal plosive Voiceless palatal plosive The voiceless palatal plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is c....	gjalda "to pay"
hj	[ɕ] or	hjá "next to, with"
hl	[l̥] voiceless alveolar lateral approximant Alveolar lateral approximant The alveolar lateral approximant, also known as clear l, is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental, alveolar, and postalveolar lateral approximants is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is l.As a...	hlýr "warm"
hr	[r̥] voiceless alveolar trill	hratt "fast"
hv	[kʰv] ([xv] among older speakers and speakers in southern Iceland)	hvað "what"
i	[ɪ]	sin "sinew"
í	[i]	íslenska "Icelandic"
j	[j]	já "yes"
k	[kʰ]	kynskiptingur "transsexual"
	beginning of word, before e, i, í, y, ý, æ, ei or ey: [cʰ] aspirated voiceless palatal plosive Voiceless palatal plosive The voiceless palatal plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is c....	keyra "drive"
	before t [x] voiceless velar fricative Voiceless velar fricative The voiceless velar fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The sound was part of the consonant inventory of Old English and can still be found in some dialects of English, most notably in Scottish English....	október "October"
kj	beginning of word: [cʰ] aspirated voiceless palatal plosive Voiceless palatal plosive The voiceless palatal plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is c....	kjöt "meat"
	all other contexts: [c⁼] unaspirated voiceless palatal plosive Voiceless palatal plosive The voiceless palatal plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is c....	þykja "to be regarded"
kk	[ʰk]	þakka "thank"
l	in most cases: [l]	lás "lock"
	at end of word, or next to a voiceless consonant: [l̥] voiceless alveolar lateral approximant Alveolar lateral approximant The alveolar lateral approximant, also known as clear l, is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental, alveolar, and postalveolar lateral approximants is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is l.As a...	sól "sun" , stúlka
ll	in most cases: [tl]	bolli "cup" milli "between"
	in loan words and pet names: [lː]	bolla mylla "mill"
m	in most cases: [m]	mamma "mum"
	after and before voiceless consonants [m̥]	lampi "lamp"
n	in most cases: [n]	nafn "name"
	after and before voiceless consonants [n̥]	planta "plant" hnifur "knife"
nn	after accented vowels or diphthongs: [tn̥]	steinn "rock" fínn "elegant"
	all other contexts [nː]	finna "to find"
o	long: [oɔ̯] short: [ɔ]	lofa "promise" dolla "pot"
ó	[ou̯]	rós "rose"
p	beginning of word: [pʰ] aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive Voiceless bilabial plosive The voiceless bilabial plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is p...	par "pair"
	after a voiceless sound: [p⁼] unaspirated voiceless bilabial plosive Voiceless bilabial plosive The voiceless bilabial plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is p...	spara "save"
	before s, k or t: [f] voiceless labiodental fricative Voiceless labiodental fricative The voiceless labiodental fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is .-Features:Features of the voiceless labiodental fricative:...	September "September" skips "ship's"
pp	[ʰp]	stoppa "stop"
r	at the beginning of words and between vowels: [r] (voiced alveolar trill Alveolar trill The alveolar trill is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental, alveolar, and postalveolar trills is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is r. It is commonly called the rolled R, rolling R, or trilled R... )	rigna "to rain" læra "to learn"
	before and after voiceless consonants and at the end of a pause [r̥] (voiceless alveolar trill)	svartur "black"
rl	[rtl̥]	karlmaður "man"
rn	[rtn̥]	þorn "the name of the letter þ"
s	[s]	sósa sauce
sl	[stl̥]	rusl
sn	[stn̥]	bysna
t	beginning of word: [tʰ] aspirated voiceless alveolar plosive Voiceless alveolar plosive The voiceless alveolar plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents voiceless dental, alveolar, and postalveolar plosives is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is t...	taka "take"
	after voiceless sound: [t⁼] unaspirated voiceless alveolar plosive Voiceless alveolar plosive The voiceless alveolar plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents voiceless dental, alveolar, and postalveolar plosives is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is t...	stela "steal"
tt	[ʰt]	detta "to fall"
u	[ʏ]	hundur "dog"
	before ng or nk [u]	munkur "monk"
ú	[u]	þú "you"
v	[v]	vera "to be"
x	[xs]	lax "salmon"
þ	[θ̠] voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative Voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative The voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative is a consonantal sound. As the International Phonetic Alphabet does not have separate symbols for the alveolar consonants , this sound is usually represented by , , or...	þú "you" Aþena "Athens"
æ	[äi̯]	læsa "lock"
ö	[œ]	ör "scar"