Writing on signs in Iceland
Þ and ð
Icelandic keeps two old letters no other country uses: þ (thorn) and ð (eth), plus æ and lots of accents.
- þ or ð means Iceland, every time.
- Accents on every vowel: á, é, í, ó, ú, ý.
- Streets end in -gata or -vegur.
7 photos, grouped by the clue they show.
Key clue Shop sign 3
Key clue Street sign 4
Iceland: what its writing looks like
Icelandic keeps two old letters that no other country uses: þ (thorn) and ð (eth). See one of them and you are in Iceland.
It also has æ and ö, and accents on almost every vowel: á, é, í, ó, ú, ý. Streets end in -gata or -vegur.
Icelandic is used across Iceland, from Reykjavík to the smallest fishing village.
Look-alikes: how to tell them apart
Norway
DenmarkNorwegian and Danish use æ too, but never þ or ð.
Questions about the writing in Iceland
Which letters are only Icelandic?
þ and ð. They were used in Old English too, but today only Icelandic keeps them.
How do you say þ?
Like the th in thin.