The Albanian Alphabet: 36 Letters and How to Pronounce Them

You’ve seen names like Xhaferi, Gjergj or Qemal and had no idea how to say them? Or you want to read your grandmother’s messages without guessing? Good news: once you know the Albanian alphabet, you can read almost any Albanian word out loud.

For English speakers, Albanian spelling looks intimidating at first: xh, gj, q and all those ës. But it’s one of the most reader-friendly alphabets in Europe. Unlike English, where “though”, “through” and “tough” all sound different, Albanian follows one rule: one letter, one sound.

From my own language learning, I know how much confidence it gives you when you can read a word correctly on the first try. With Norwegian, the spelling took me months to trust. With Albanian, a focused week on the alphabet is enough to read menus, street signs and family messages out loud.

The Albanian alphabet: all 36 letters with pronunciation

Here is the complete alphabet in its official order, with the IPA symbol, the closest English sound and an everyday example word:

The letters that trip English speakers up most are c (never “k”), q (not “kw”), x (never “ks”), j (always “y”) and the vowels ë and y, which don’t exist in English. If you master these six, you’ve done most of the work.

Albanian vowels: the 7 sounds you need

Albanian has seven vowels. Five of them sound roughly like Italian or Spanish vowels. Two are new for English speakers:

• a, e, i, o, u: clear, short vowels, like in Italian. E is open like in “bed”, o like in British “hot”.
• ë: the most common letter in Albanian. Inside a word it’s a soft “uh” as in “about”. At the end of a word it’s usually so weak that you barely hear it: bukë (bread) sounds close to “book”.
• y: a rounded “ee”. Say “ee”, keep your tongue where it is and round your lips as if you were going to whistle. That’s the sound in yll (star) and ty (you).

The 9 double letters: dh, gj, ll, nj, rr, sh, th, xh, zh

Albanian writes nine sounds with two characters. They’re not combinations of two sounds, but single letters with their own place in the alphabet and in the dictionary. Once you know them, most “strange” Albanian words suddenly make sense:

• sh, zh, xh: the “sh”, “s in measure” and “j” sounds. Shqipëri (Albania) starts with sh.
• th, dh: the two English “th” sounds, which Albanian writes differently: th as in “think”, dh as in “this”.
• gj, nj: soft sounds made with the middle of the tongue. Gjergj (George) and një (one).
• ll, rr: a heavier “l” and a rolled “r”, compared with the lighter single l and r.

Q and gj: the two sounds everyone gets wrong

Q and gj are a pair: q is the voiceless version, gj the voiced one. Both are made with the middle of the tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth. For a first approximation, say q like a soft “ky” and gj like a soft “gy”. In many regions, especially in the north and in Kosovo, they sound almost like ç and xh, so don’t worry if you hear variations in your family.

Albanian pronunciation rules for beginners

• One letter, one sound. There are no silent letters apart from the weak final ë, and no letter changes its sound depending on its neighbours.
• C is never “k”, s is never “z”. Cili (which) starts with “ts”, sot (today) with a clear “s”.
• Stress is fairly regular. Most words are stressed on the last syllable of the root, which is often the second-to-last syllable of the word: faleminDErit, mirupAFshim. Listening to native speakers is the fastest way to get it right.
• Double letters count as one. In rrugë (road), rr is one sound, not two.
• Regional accents vary. Gheg speakers in the north and in Kosovo use nasal vowels and pronounce some letters differently. Standard pronunciation is understood everywhere.

How to say the country names correctly: Shqipëri is pronounced roughly “shchee-puh-REE”, and the capital Tiranë “tee-RAH-nuh”.

A short history of the Albanian alphabet

Today’s alphabet is younger than many people think. For centuries, Albanian was written in several different scripts, depending on region and religion:

• Latin-based spellings were used by Catholic writers in the north, starting with Gjon Buzuku’s book of 1555.
• Greek-based spellings were common in the Orthodox south, Arabic-based spellings among Muslim writers during Ottoman rule.
• Original Albanian scripts were also invented, such as the Elbasan script (18th century) and the Vithkuqi script (19th century). They are no longer in use.

At the Congress of Monastir in November 1908, in today’s Bitola in North Macedonia, Albanian scholars agreed on a single Latin-based alphabet with digraphs: the alphabet with 36 letters that is still used today (Britannica on the Albanian language). Albanians celebrate this every year on 22 November, the Day of the Alphabet (Dita e Alfabetit).

Not to be confused: The “Caucasian Albanian alphabet” belongs to an ancient kingdom in the Caucasus, in today’s Azerbaijan. It has nothing to do with the Albanian language of the Balkans. The two only share the name.

Want to know more about where Albanian comes from? Read our portrait of the Albanian language.

How to type Albanian letters

Only two letters need special characters: ë and ç. Everything else is on a normal English keyboard.

• On your phone: press and hold e for ë and c for ç.
• On a computer: add the Albanian keyboard layout in your system settings. Both letters then have their own keys.
• In everyday chats: many Albanians simply type e for ë and c for ç. Don’t let that confuse you when you read family messages.

Frequently asked questions about the Albanian alphabet

How many letters are in the Albanian alphabet?

The Albanian alphabet has 36 letters: 7 vowels and 29 consonants, including 9 double letters (dh, gj, ll, nj, rr, sh, th, xh, zh).

Does Albanian use the Latin alphabet?

Yes. Since the Congress of Monastir in 1908, Albanian has been written in a Latin-based alphabet. Before that, Latin, Greek and Arabic-based scripts were used side by side.

How do you pronounce ë in Albanian?

Inside a word, ë sounds like the a in about. At the end of a word it is usually very weak or silent, so bukë (bread) sounds close to book.

How do you pronounce q in Albanian?

Q is a soft ky sound made with the middle of the tongue, somewhere between ch and ky. In the north and in Kosovo it often sounds close to ch.

Is Albanian spelled the way it sounds?

Yes. Albanian spelling is phonetic: each letter always stands for the same sound. Once you know the 36 letters, you can read almost any word correctly.

When was the Albanian alphabet created?

The modern Albanian alphabet was agreed on at the Congress of Monastir in November 1908. Albanians celebrate the Day of the Alphabet on 22 November.

Related links

• Learn Albanian: best apps, online courses and free resources
• Common Albanian phrases with pronunciation
• The Albanian language: origin, history and where it’s spoken
• Learning vocabulary successfully