Introduction
Tengwar is the flowing Elvish script that J.R.R. Tolkien invented in the 1930s and used throughout The Lord of the Rings for inscriptions on the One Ring, the gates of Moria, and the title page of the Red Book of Westmarch. Cirth is the angular runic script Tolkien created for the Dwarves of Erebor. This translator converts English text into both scripts using a fixed letter-by-letter substitution, so the output is fully reversible. Pick a mode above, type your text, and watch each letter become a Tengwar tengwa or a Cirth rune. The Tengwar output uses codepoints from the official Unicode Tengwar block added in Unicode 14.0, while Cirth uses ConScript Unicode Registry Private Use Area mappings.
What this tool does
- Converts English text to Tengwar or Cirth symbols using a fixed A-Z substitution for each of three modes.
- Three modes: Tengwar General/English mode, Tengwar Beleriand mode (used for Sindarin), and Cirth (Dwarvish runes).
- Bidirectional translation: switch between text-to-script and script-to-text with one click.
- Tengwar output uses the official Unicode block U+1E000-U+1E0FF, added in Unicode 14.0 in September 2021. Cirth uses PUA codepoints U+E800-U+E819 from the ConScript Unicode Registry.
- Shows a live A-Z reference table for the selected mode so you can learn the mapping while you type.
- All conversion runs client-side in your browser. No text leaves your device.
How this tool works
The translator maintains three lookup tables, one per mode. When you type text in encode mode, each character is uppercased and looked up in the table for the selected mode. A match produces the corresponding Tengwar or Cirth codepoint. Characters outside A-Z (spaces, digits, punctuation) pass through unchanged. In decode mode, the tool builds an inverse map from symbols back to letters and applies it character by character. The reference table below the controls shows the full A-Z mapping for whichever mode you have selected, updating instantly when you switch scripts. The output textarea updates on every keystroke with no server round-trip.
How the cipher or encoding works
Tolkien began developing Tengwar in the early 1930s as part of his constructed-language hobby, which he called his "secret vice." The script appears in The Lord of the Rings, published in 1954-1955, most famously in the Black Speech inscription on the One Ring and the Sindarin inscription on the West-gate of Moria. According to the Tolkien Gateway and Omniglot, Tengwar is not an alphabet in the usual sense. It is a phonetic writing system whose 24 base tengwar represent consonant sounds organized by place and manner of articulation, with vowels written as diacritical marks called tehtar above the preceding consonant.
This phonetic structure means Tengwar has multiple modes. The General mode, used for English and Westron, places vowels as tehtar. The Beleriand mode, used for Sindarin in the First Age, writes vowels as full tengwar. The Black Speech mode appears only in the Ring inscription. A full phonetic transcription from English to any of these modes requires analyzing each word's sounds, not its spelling, which is why most online Tengwar transcribers produce inconsistent results. This tool sidesteps that complexity with a fixed letter substitution, trading phonetic accuracy for reversibility.
Cirth, described on Wikipedia, was invented by the Elf Daeron in Tolkien's legendarium and later adapted by the Dwarves. Tolkien based its angular forms on real runic traditions, particularly the Anglo-Saxon futhorc. Unlike Tengwar, Cirth is closer to a true alphabet, with individual runes for individual sounds. The expanded Certhas Daeron had 60 runes. This tool uses a simplified 26-letter subset.
The Unicode Consortium added the Tengwar block (U+1E000-U+1E0FF) in Unicode 14.0, released September 14, 2021, after years of work by the Tengwar encoding community. Cirth has no official Unicode assignment. The ConScript Unicode Registry maintains PUA mappings for constructed scripts, and this tool follows that convention for Cirth. To see the glyphs rendered, your browser needs a Tengwar or Cirth font. Free options include the Tengwar Telcontar font and several Cirth fonts hosted on fan sites.
How to use this tool
- Select a script: Tengwar General/English mode, Tengwar Beleriand mode, or Cirth.
- Choose the direction: "Text to script" to encode, or "Script to text" to decode.
- Type or paste English text in the input field. The output updates instantly.
- Consult the A-Z reference table below the controls to see exactly which symbol each letter maps to.
- Use the swap button to reverse direction without retyping.
- Copy the result with the "Copy result" button. Tengwar output uses official Unicode, so it pastes correctly into any application with a Tengwar font installed.
Real-world examples
Writing an Elvish greeting
Type "MELLON" in Tengwar Beleriand mode. Each letter maps to its tengwa: M, E, L, L, O, N become six flowing symbols. This is the Sindarin word for "friend" that Gandalf speaks at the West-gate of Moria. Switch to decode mode and paste the Tengwar output to recover the original English letters.
Inscribing a Dwarvish message
A fan building a Tolkien-themed project wants a runic inscription. They switch to Cirth mode and type "DURIN". The tool produces five angular runes from the PUA range U+E800-U+E819. With a Cirth font installed, the runes render as the same Certhas Daeron forms Tolkien drew for the title page of The Lord of the Rings.
Decoding a Tengwar inscription
Someone has a Unicode Tengwar string copied from a fan site. They paste it into the decode input with Tengwar General mode selected. The tool reverses the substitution and outputs the English letters. Characters outside the mapped range pass through unchanged, so spaces and punctuation survive the round trip.
Comparison with similar methods
| Method | Complexity | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Tengwar (General mode) | Medium | Elvish script for English, Westron, and Black Speech in Tolkien's works |
| Tengwar (Beleriand mode) | Medium | Elvish script for Sindarin, vowels written as full tengwar |
| Cirth | Low | Dwarvish runic script, closer to a true alphabet |
| Elder Futhark | Low | Real-world Germanic runic alphabet, 2nd-8th century |
Limitations or considerations
This tool performs a fixed letter-by-letter substitution, not a phonetic transcription. Real Tengwar modes map sounds to tengwar based on place and manner of articulation, with vowels as tehtar (diacritics) in most modes. A true Tengwar transcription of English requires phonemic analysis of each word, which this tool does not attempt. The trade-off is that the output is reversible: decode mode recovers the exact input letters. Cirth uses Private Use Area codepoints (U+E800-U+E819), so it only renders with a Cirth font installed. Tengwar uses official Unicode (U+1E000-U+1E0FF) but still requires a Tengwar font. Without the right font, you will see boxes or blank glyphs. Neither script is a cipher or encryption method. Anyone with the mapping table can read the output. For actual encryption, use the AES block cipher or RSA Key Inspector.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tengwar?
Tengwar is the Elvish writing system invented by J.R.R. Tolkien in the 1930s. It appears in The Lord of the Rings on the One Ring, the gates of Moria, and the title page. It is a phonetic script with 24 base consonant signs and vowel diacritics called tehtar. Tolkien designed multiple modes for different languages, including General mode for English and Beleriand mode for Sindarin.
What is Cirth?
Cirth is the Dwarvish runic script in Tolkien's legendarium, invented by the Elf Daeron and adapted by the Dwarves. It is an angular script closer to a true alphabet than Tengwar. Tolkien based its forms on real runic traditions like the Anglo-Saxon futhorc. The expanded Certhas Daeron had 60 runes. This tool uses a simplified 26-letter subset.
Does Tengwar have official Unicode support?
Yes. Unicode 14.0, released September 14, 2021, added the Tengwar block at U+1E000-U+1E0FF. This tool uses codepoints from that block for both Tengwar modes. Cirth has no official Unicode assignment and uses ConScript Unicode Registry Private Use Area mappings at U+E800-U+E819.
Why is this tool not a full phonetic Tengwar transcription?
Real Tengwar maps sounds, not English letters, and most modes write vowels as diacritics above the preceding consonant. A full transcription requires phonemic analysis of each word, which varies by dialect and mode. This tool uses a fixed letter substitution so the output is reversible. It is accurate enough for decorative use and learning the glyph shapes, but not for scholarly Elvish transcription.
Why do I see boxes instead of Tengwar or Cirth glyphs?
Both scripts require a specialized font. Tengwar uses official Unicode codepoints but most operating systems do not ship a Tengwar font. Free options include the Tengwar Telcontar font from SourceForge. Cirth uses Private Use Area codepoints and needs a Cirth font from a fan site. Without the font, the browser shows a placeholder box or blank.
Conclusion
The Tengwar and Cirth translator converts English text into Tolkien's two constructed scripts using a reversible letter substitution. Pick a mode, type your message, and copy the output. For more constructed and historical scripts, try the Standard Galactic Alphabet, the Hieroglyphics Translator, or the Linear B Translator. To explore real runic writing, visit the Rune Translator.