Twi is written with 22 Latin letters, and 20 of them are letters English readers already know. The two new ones are ɛ and ɔ, open forms of e and o.
| Letter | Sounds Like |
|---|---|
| A a | the a in father |
| B b | the b in boy |
| D d | the d in day |
| E e | the ay in say, or the i in sit |
| Ɛ ɛ | the e in bed |
| F f | the f in fan |
| G g | the g in go |
| H h | the h in hat |
| I i | the ee in see |
| K k | the k in kite |
| L l | the l in leg |
| M m | the m in map |
| N n | the n in no |
| O o | the o in go, or the oo in book |
| Ɔ ɔ | the aw in law |
| P p | the p in pig |
| R r | one quick tap of the tongue |
| S s | the s in sun |
| T t | the t in ten |
| U u | the oo in food |
| W w | the w in well |
| Y y | the y in yes |
The alphabet has no c, j, q, v, x or z, though you may see them in words borrowed from other languages.
Open your mouth wider for ɛ and ɔ. In each pair below, that vowel is the only difference between the two words.
| Letter | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| e | de | to take |
| ɛ | dɛ | sweet, tasty |
| o | wo | you |
| ɔ | wɔ | to be at (a place) |
A letter followed by y or w often spells one sound, so read each pair as a single sound.
| Pair | Sounds Like | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ky | the ch in chair | akyi | behind |
| gy | the j in jam | gya | fire |
| hy | the sh in shoe | hyia | to meet |
| ny | the ny in canyon | nyinaa | all |
| tw | ch, with rounded lips | Twi | the Twi language |
| dw | j, with rounded lips | dwom | song |
| hw | sh, with rounded lips | hwɛ | to look |
| nw | ny, with rounded lips | nwoma | book |
Kw reads like the qu in quick.
A vowel written twice is held longer, and an n at the end usually sends the vowel through your nose. Both can change the word.
| Plain | Meaning | Changed | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| da | to sleep | daa | always |
| ba | to come | baa | came |
| tɔ | to buy | tɔn | to sell |
| sɛ | like, as | sɛn | how? |
Every syllable is also said high or low. Everyday Twi writing doesn't mark the tones, so you learn them by listening.
Free Twi Alphabet Course
- Audio for Every Word
- Real Example Words
0 of 2 Chapters Complete
In the Twi Alphabet course, chapter 1 covers ɛ, ɔ, long vowels, vowels through the nose and tones. Chapter 2 covers the letter pairs and the letters that work a little differently from English.
In the Bubblegum app, Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Twi lessons for your level, and you can switch on tone marks while you read.
How Many Letters Are in the Twi Alphabet?
There are 22 letters, including ɛ and ɔ. A pair like ky or tw is two of those letters written together, so it doesn't add to the count. In 1978, the Akan Orthography Committee set one shared spelling for Twi and Fante, and primary schools use it.
Which Twi App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Twi, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Twi app comparison covers more choices and what each one is good for.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Twi-Fante language (the 22 letters in upper and lower case; c, j, q, v, x and z only in loanwords; the Akan Orthography Committee's unified spelling of 1978, used in primary schools; consonant spellings such as ky, gy, hy, tw, dw and hw)
- Unicode CLDR, Akan locale data (the 22 letters a b d e ɛ f g h i k l m n o ɔ p r s t u w y; c, j, q, v and z only as extra letters)
- Unicode Character Database, NamesList (U+025B LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN E and U+0190 capital; U+0254 LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O and U+0186 capital)
- Bubblegum: Twi Alphabet course (the sound of each vowel and letter pair, long vowels, vowels through the nose, high and low tones)
