How Latin Is Spelled Here
Spell Latin with i and v, and write ae and oe as two letters.
How It Works
| You see | Used here | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| the consonant i | i, never j | iam (already), Iulius, maior (bigger) |
| the consonant v | v, never u | via (road), vinum (wine), vita (life) |
| ae and oe | two letters, never one joined letter | caelum (sky), poena (penalty) |
| long vowels | no bar over the vowel | puella (girl) |
| capital letters | sentence starts and names | Marcus Romam videt. |
Some books print other spellings: jam for iam, uia for via, or a joined ae. They are the same words. If you meet one, read it as the spelling in this table.
The dictionary sheet keeps the bars over long vowels because they help. See long and short vowels.
Examples (4)
- Iulius in villa est.
Iulius is in the house.
The first letter of Iulius is a consonant, sounding like y in yes, and it is written i.
- Via longa est.
The road is long.
The v of via sounds like w in classical Latin and like v in Church Latin.
- Caelum magnum est.
The sky is big.
The ae of caelum is two separate letters.
- Poena magna est.
The penalty is great.
The oe of poena is two separate letters.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The spelling rules come after the big picture, because they serve both ways of reading Latin.
Related Patterns
- Long and Short Vowels
Why long vowels have bars in a dictionary and none here.
Foundations - Classical Pronunciation
How these letters sound in classical Latin.
Foundations - Church Pronunciation
How these letters sound in Church Latin.
Foundations - Two Vowels, One Sound: ae, oe, auTwo Vowels, One Sound
The sounds of ae and oe.
Level 1
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