Writing on signs in Slovakia
Ä, ô and ľ
Slovak looks a lot like Czech, but it has ä, ô, ľ and ĺ, and no ř, ě or ů.
- ô (o with a hat) and ľ (l with a tick) point to Slovakia.
- No ř and no ring on the u: that rules out Czechia.
- Words like Potraviny, ulica and námestie.
12 photos, grouped by the clue they show.
Key clue Shop sign 4
Key clue Street sign 8
Slovakia: what its writing looks like
Slovak looks a lot like Czech, but it has its own marks: ä, ô, ľ, ĺ and ŕ. It has no ř, ě or ů.
Words on signs are close to Czech: Potraviny, ulica (Czech: ulice) and námestie (Czech: náměstí).
Slovak is used across Slovakia, from Bratislava to Košice.
Look-alikes: how to tell them apart
Slovakia vs 
Czech Republic
Hungary
Czech has ř, ě and ů. Hungarian, used in southern Slovakia too, has ő and ű and pairs like sz and gy.
Questions about the writing in Slovakia
Which letters are only Slovak?
ô, ľ and ĺ are the best clues. ä appears too, which Czech does not use.
Are Slovak and Czech the same language?
No, but they are very close, and speakers understand each other. The spelling has small differences.