Rune Translator
Enter your text and choose a rune alphabet. The tool converts your text phonetically into the chosen runic script.
What's the difference between the three rune alphabets? More about that below.
Note: This is a phonetic transliteration (letter-to-rune transcription), not a linguistic translation into Old Norse. There is no reliable automatic translation of modern languages into Old Norse – for a historically accurate text, we recommend consulting someone versed in runes.
The Three Rune Alphabets
A brief look at the origin, time period, and development of the three rune systems offered by this tool.
Elder Futhark
The oldest known runic alphabet of the Germanic peoples. The earliest inscriptions date to the 2nd century CE – likely emerging from contact between Germanic groups and Mediterranean writing cultures. Used by tribes across Northern and Central Europe until it gave way to the Younger Futhark around 700/800 CE.
Younger Futhark
Derived from the Elder Futhark but radically simplified: only 16 of the original 24 characters remained, with several sounds now sharing a single symbol. It became the runic alphabet of the Viking Age proper and survives on thousands of runestones across Scandinavia.
Anglo-Saxon Futhorc
An Anglo-Frisian development of the Elder Futhark, adapted to the richer sound system of Old English. In use in England and Frisia from the 5th century onward, it eventually grew to as many as 33 characters – found on artifacts such as the famous Franks Casket.
