This is an alphabetical list of any individuals, legendary or real, who are purported by traditions to have inventedalphabets or otherwriting systems, whether this is proven or not.

• Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa – German alchemist, created theTransitus Fluvii,Malachim, andCelestial Alphabets, c. 1525.
• Guru Angad – Sikh Guru, ascribed invention ofGurmukhi script c. 1539 according to tradition.
• Anigouran – Tuareg folk hero, ascribed invention ofTifinagh according to tradition

• Celadet Bedir Khan – Kurd linguist, developedBedirxan alphabet in 1932.
• Alexander Melville Bell – American teacher, inventedVisible Speech in 1867
• Anton Bezenšek – Slovenian linguist, developedBezenšek Shorthandc. 1879
• Charles K. Bliss – Australian engineer, inventedBlissymbolics c. 1949.
• Lako Bodra – Indian railway clerk and community leader. Invented theWarang Citi script in the mid-1900s.
• Robert Boyd – American, inventedBoyd's Syllabic Shorthand in 1903.
• Louis Braille – French teacher, inventedBraille writing around 1821.
• Frédéric Bruly Bouabré – Ivorian artist, invented theBété syllabary in the mid-1950s.
• Momolu Duwalu Bukele – Liberian, inventedVai syllabary around 1833.
• John Byrom – British poet, invented a system ofshorthand c. 1715.

• Cadmus – legendary Phoenician prince, ascribed invention ofGreek alphabet c. 1350 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Cangjie – legendary Chinese scribe, also ascribed invention of Chinese characters c. 2650 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Carmenta – legendary Roman prophetess and mother ofEvander, ascribed adoption of Greek alphabet toLatin alphabet c. 1250 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Chao Yuen Ren – Chinese-American linguist, led the development ofGwoyeu Romatzyh in 1925–6.
• Saint Clement of Ohrid – Archbishop, ascribed invention ofCyrillic c. 900, according to tradition.
• Saint Cyril – Byzantine monk, believed to have createdGlagolitic alphabet c. 863.

• John Dee – English alchemist and mathematician, invented anEnochian alphabet (not to be confused with that of Pantheus) c. 1582.
• Émile Duployé – French abbot, inventor ofDuployan shorthand, 1868.
• Reginald John Garfield Dutton – British, inventedDutton Speedwords shorthand in 1922.

• C.C. Elian (artist) – invented Elian script, c. 1980s, a transformation of the Latin alphabet into lines and dashes, allowing for multiple variations of the same word.
• Enmerkar – legendary Sumerian king, ascribed invention ofcuneiform c. 2300 BC (?) according toEnmerkar and the Lord of Aratta epic.
• Enos – Biblical patriarch, ascribed introduction of consonantalGe'ez alphabet c. 3350 BC (?) according to tradition.
• James Evans – Canadian missionary, invented a syllabary used for Ojibwe and Cree c. 1840, these days referred to asCree syllabics.

• Scott Fahlman – American computer scientist, proposed the firstsmileyemoticon in 1982.
• Assane Faye – Senegalese, invented theGaray alphabet forWolof, 1961.
• Fenius Farsa – legendary Scythian king, ascribed invention ofOgham writing c. 2000 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Benjamin Franklin – American statesman, developedBenjamin Franklin's phonetic alphabet c. 1768.
• Frumentius – Syrian saint who converted the Africankingdom of Aksum to Christianity, traditionally credited with development of consonantalGe'ez script into vocalic Ge'ez script in the mid 4th-century.
• Fu Hsi – legendary Chinese king, ascribed invention ofChinese characters c. 2850 BC (?) according to tradition.

• Franz Xaver Gabelsberger – German secretary, inventedGabelsberger shorthand around 1817.
• Mangei Gomango – Indian, inventedSorang Sompeng script in 1936.
• John Robert Gregg – Irish author, inventedGregg Shorthand c. 1888.
• Gregory of Durrës – Albanian monk, ascribed invention of theElbasan script c. 1761

• Thomas Harriot – English mathematician, inventedphonetic alphabet for transcribingCarolina Algonquian language in 1584.
• Hemadpant – A scholar from ancientIndia and Prime Minister inYadava Dynasty, according to one theory invented theModi Script that was used to writeMarathi Language till 19th century beforeDevanagari was officially adopted to write Marathi.
• Hildegard of Bingen – German nun, inventedLitterae ignotae c. 1150.
• Honorius of Thebes – possibly mythical author, ascribed invention ofTheban alphabet c. 1220 (?).

• Hussein Sheikh Ahmed Kaddare – Somali, inventedKaddare script c. 1953.
• Kisimi Kamara – Sierra Leonean tailor, inventedMende syllabary,Ki-ka-ku, in 1921.
• Solomana Kante – Guinean author, invented theN'Ko alphabet in 1949.
• Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Serbianlinguist, developedSerbian Cyrillic alphabet c. 1818, adapting Cyrillic alphabet.
• Osman Yusuf Kenadid – Somali, inventedOsmanya script c. 1921.
• Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī – Persian mathematician, helped codify theHindu–Arabic numeral system c. 825
• Ong Kommandam – Laotian freedom fighter, developed theKhom script, first used 1926.
• Kūkai – Japanese monk, ascribed invention ofKana syllabary c. 806, according to tradition.
• Shigetaka Kurita – Japanese designer, created theNTT DoCoMoemoji set.

• Jean-Marie-Raphaël Le Jeune – Canadian, createdChinook writing, 1893, an adaptation and expansion ofDuployan.
• Francis Lodwick – Dutch linguist, inventedUniversal Alphabet in 1686.
• Karl Richard Lepsius – German linguist, developedStandard Alphabet by Lepsius c. 1855.
• Lontanna Igwe Onduze – Nigerian software designer and artist, created theNdèbe script c. 2008.

• Mani – Ancient Iranian prophet, inventedManichaean alphabet
• Aulay Macaulay – English tea-dealer, who inventedPolygraphy, a system ofshorthand in 1747.
• John R. Malone – American, developed theUNIFON alphabet c. 1955.
• Mesrop Mashtots – Armenian monk, created theArmenian alphabet in c. 405.
• Olof Melin – Swedish colonel, inventedMelin Shorthand c. 1880.
• Mongkut – Thai king, invented theAriyaka scriptc. 1840s
• Thomas More – English author, inventedUtopian alphabet in 1516.
• Adrien-Gabriel Morice – French, developedCarrier syllabary c. 1885.
• Samuel F. B. Morse – American inventor, inventedMorse code c. 1835.
• Pandit Raghunath Murmu – Indian, createdOl Chiki script in 1925.

• Ibrahim Njoya – King ofBamum (Cameroon), inventedBamum script c. 1910.
• Nurhaci (king), or possibly his translators Erdeni and Gagai ? – Manchurians, createdManchu alphabet in 1599.

• Odin/*Wōdanaz – the chief god in Scandinavian/Germanic paganism. Associated in theHávamál with the origins of theRunic alphabetFuthark (LaterFuthorc).
• Ogma – legendary Irish deified chieftain, also ascribed invention of Ogham writing c. 1875 BC (?) according to tradition.

• Zaya Pandita –  – Oirat lama, developedTodo script in 1648.
• Paracelsus – Swiss alchemist, inventedAlphabet of the Magi c. 1520.
• Chögyal Phagpa – Tibetan monk, inventedPhagspa script in 1269.
• Pharnavaz I of Iberia – Iberian king, ascribed development ofGeorgian alphabet in 284 BC, according to tradition.
• Francisco de Pina, and other Portuguese missionaries – created theVietnamese alphabet c. 1620s.
• Isaac Pitman – British teacher, inventedPitman shorthand in 1837.
• Sam Pollard – British missionary, inventedPollard script in 1905.
• Parley P. Pratt  – American Mormon leader, developedDeseret alphabet withGeorge D. Watt c. 1855.
• George Psalmanazar – European impostor and scholar, invented a (fraudulent) Formosan alphabet in 1704.

• Ram Khamhaeng the Great – Thai king, ascribed invention ofThai alphabet in 1283, according to tradition.
• Ronald Kingsley Read – British, invented theShavian (early 1960s) andQuikscript (1966) writing systems.
• Jeremiah Rich – English, invented a system ofshorthand in 1654.
• Ríg – (identified asHeimdall) gave the runes to his son,Jarl (Poetic Edda poemRígsþula)Runic alphabetFuthark (LaterFuthorc) c. 150 AD (?) per tradition.
• Alexandre de Rhodes – Avignonese missionary, developedVietnamese alphabet c. 1625, basing on works by Portuguese missionaries such asFrancisco de Pina.

• Carl W. Salser – American teacher, developedPersonal Shorthand withC. Theo Yerian. c. 1955.
• Bakri Sapalo – Oromo poet, writer, and teacher from Ethiopia, invented an alphasyllabicscript for the Oromo language c. 1956.
• Johann Martin Schleyer – created three letters (ꞛ, ꞝ, and ꞟ) for his international auxiliary languageVolapük at the end of the 19th century.
• Sejong the Great – Korean king ofJoseon, inventedHangul writing in c. 1443, promulgated in 1446.
• Seol Chong – inventor of the KoreanIdu script andGugyeol script (c. 650 – c. 730), according to tradition.
• Sequoyah, Cherokee silversmith, inventedCherokee syllabary c. 1819.
• Seth, son ofAdam, is mentioned in theChronicle of Malalas as being the "first to inventHebrew script and to write with it"^[1]
• Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur – Somali, inventedBorama script c. 1933.
• Srinivasa Chakravarthy – Indian researcher, led the creation of theBharati script (2016)
• Thomas Shelton – English translator, developedShort Writing, an earlyshorthand, in 1626.
• Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche – Tibetan religious teacher of uncertain historicity, ascribed creation of theDongba script by religious fables.
• Shong Lue Yang – Hmong, createdPahawh Hmong alphabet in 1959
• Kai Staats – American filmmaker, creatediConji in 2010.
• Stephen of Perm – Russian missionary, invented theOld Permic alphabet in 1372.
• Valerie Sutton – American choreographer, developedMovementWriting for transcribing dance in 1972 andSignWriting for transcribingsign languages in 1974.

• Tata-tonga was a 13th-century Uyghur scribe captured by Genghis Khan from the Naimans and involved in bringing and adapting the OldUyghur alphabet to theMongolian Plateau in the form of theMongolian script (Mongol bichig or hudum bichig). After his capture, he was invited to teach theOld Uyghur alphabet to members of the court, including the Khan's sons.
• Taautus, legendary inventor of thePhoenician alphabet
• Samuel Taylor – British, inventedUniversal Stenography system ofshorthand in 1792.
• Tenevil – Chukchi reindeer herder, developed a writing system forChukchi language c. 1931.
• Charles Allen Thomas – inventedThomas Natural Shorthand in 1935.
• Thonmi Sambhota – legendary Tibetan scribe, ascribed invention ofTibetan script c. 650, according to tradition.
• Thoth – mythical Egyptian deity, ascribed invention ofEgyptian hieroglyphics c. 3000 BC (?) according to tradition.
• John William Tims – Missionary, developedBlackfoot syllabary c. 1890.
• Marcus Tullius Tiro – Roman secretary, ascribed invention ofTironian notes shorthand c. 63 BC, according to tradition.
• J. R. R. Tolkien – British author, invented theTengwar,Cirth andSarati c. 1930
• Johannes Trithemius – German cryptographer, invented an "Angelic" (magical) alphabet in 1499.

• Ulfilas, Goth missionary, believed to have inventedGothic alphabet c. 350 AD, according to tradition.
• Uyaquk – Yupik (Alaska Native) missionary, inventedYugtun script c. 1900.

• Naum Veqilharxhi – Albanian, invented theVithkuqi alphabet in 1845.

• Wanyan Xiyin – Manchurian scribe, inventedJurchen script in 1120.
• William Bell Wait – American teacher, inventedNew York Point system in 1868.
• Diedrich Westermann – German missionary, developedAfrica Alphabet in 1928.
• George D. Watt  – American Mormon leader, developedDeseret alphabet withParley P. Pratt c. 1855.
• W. John (or John W.) Weilgart – Austrian-born American psychoanalyst and philosopher; creator of the philosophical languageaUI and its writing system.
• John Wilkins – English academic. Invented the so-called 'real character' as a writing system for a proposedPhilosophical language in 1668.

• Yeli Renrong – Tangut scholar, inventedTangut script in 1036.
• Yelü Diela – Manchurian scribe, ascribed creation ofKhitan small script c. 925.

• Zhang Binglin – Chinese linguist, invented shorthand that was developed intoZhuyin in 1913.
• Zhou Youguang – Chinese linguist, invented Pinyin romanisation, 1958
• Öndör Gegeen Zanabazar – Mongolian monk, createdSoyombo script in 1686 andZanabazar square script.

• List of constructed scripts
• List of writing systems
• List of language creators

• Creators of writing systems
• Lists of inventors
• Lists of writing systems

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata