About Omniglot

Find out more about this site, the man behind it, and other related details.

What is Omniglot?

Omniglot is an encyclopedia ofwriting systems andlanguages. You can use it to learn aboutlanguages, to learnalphabets and other writing systems, and to learnphrases,numbers and other things in many languages. There is alsoadvice on how to learn languages.

Details of 370writing systems, includingAbjads,Alphabets,Abugidas,Syllabaries andSemanto-phonetic scripts
Information about 2,324languages
Details of 1,080constructed, adapted and fictional scripts and some constructed languages.
Tips on learning languages
Language-related articles
Useful foreign phrases in 414 languages, with many audio recordings
Phrase finder - see phrases in any combination of two languages
'Useful' (silly) phrases - interesting and unusual phrases
Multilingual texts,language names,country names,colours,numbers,telling the time,weather words,family words,terms of endearment,idioms,tongue twisters,proverbs and sayings,signs andsongs in many languages
Book store with language learning materials, books about language and linguistics, and related topics
Links to online language-related resources
Sitemap

Offshoots of Omniglot include:

Omniglot blog - adventures in the world of words and language
Radio Omniglot, language-related podcasts, includingAdventures in Etymology, a series which explores the origins of words and connections between languages,Celtic Pathways, a series that seeks out words with Celtic roots in non-Celtic languages, andOmniglot News, which summaries the latest developments on Omniglot each week.
Celtiadur - exploring connections between Celtic languages.
Omniglot Facebook page - a place to find out about the latest developments on Omniglot.
Omniglot Facebook fan club - a Facebook group where you can talk about language-related topics.
Instagram (@ieithgi), photos and videos, including some language-related ones.
BlueSky (@omniglot) - occasionally posts about Omniglot stuff
Mastadon - Polyglot City (@omniglot) - occasionally posts about Omniglot stuff
Youtube - videos about words, languages, music, etc.
TikTok (@omniglot) - language-related videos
Tiktok (@ieithgi) - videos featuring my tunes and songs, and musical events I've taken part in
Patreon - support Omniglot, and find news, clues to the weekly language quiz, and occasional behind the scenes posts.
SoundCloud - my tunes and songs, and Radio Omniglot podcasts

What people are saying about Omniglot

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Where does the name "Omniglot" come from?

I coined the term in 1998 intending to use it as the name of a website design and translation agency I was planning to establish. The agency never really took off and I decided to use the name for this website instead. I wasn't the first person to think up this word, but I think my work contriubted significantly to it's use, which increased dramatically after I started my site. See theGoogle Ngram Viewer.

Definition

Omniglot ('ɒmnɪˌglɒt)noun
1. having a command of all languages
2. written in, composed of, or containing all languages
3. a person with a command of all languages
4. a book containing several versions of the same text written in all languages
5. a mixture or confusion of languages
[from Latinomnis (all) + Greekγλωσσα (glossa) - tongue/language]
Adapted from the definition of polyglot in Collins English Dictionary

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Who is behind Omniglot?

A photo of Simon Ager, author of Omniglot, taken on the Peak Tram in Hong Kong on 15th January 2026

Omniglot was set up in 1998 bySimon Ager (that's me in the photo), and I have been maintaining and developing the site since then. Many other people have madecontributions of new material, corrections and suggestions, for which I'm profoundly grateful.

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Have you studied all the alphabets and languages on Omniglot?

No. I studied French and German in secondary school, have a BA in Chinese and Japanese, and have an MA in Linguistics. I have also done short courses in Welsh and Irish, and in traditional Irish and Scottish Gaelic songs, and have taught myself quite a few other languages. So I know a lot about some languages, and a little about many others, but would not call myself an expert on any of them. I rely on books, websites and you, my wonderful visitors, for information and corrections. If you spot any mistakes or errors, or can provide new information, pleasecontact me.

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How much does it cost?

All information and advice I provide on Omniglot and via email isfree of charge. Omniglot generates income via advertising and affiliate programs and has been my main source of income since 2008. The income from the site covers running costs of the site and of its creator/curator. Details ofadvertising opportunites.

If you like the site and would like to help to support it, donations are always welcome:

Or you cancontribute to the site in other ways.

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How many visitors does Omniglot get?

Average monthly visitors numbers: 600,000 visits, 1 million page views
Top ten countries: USA, India, UK, Philppines, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Germany, Nepal and Pakistan
Top ten languages of visitors: English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Indonesian, Dutch, Russian, Portuguese and Swedish

Environmental

This site is hosted byKualo on servers based in the UK which run on electricity from renewable sources. My home, where I work, is powered by the solar panels on the roof, and from other renewable sources viaEcotricty.

Almost all my work is done online and few things need to be printed, so my home office is more or less paperless. Generally I aim to use resources in the most efficent ways I can. I don't have a car and can walk everywhere I need to go in Bangor, and cycle, get lifts, or travel by train, bus, boat or occasionaly plane when I venture further afield.

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Corporate

Omniglot was incorporated as a limited company in 2008. This sounds quite grand, but it is in fact a one-man operation. I am also a member of theFederation of Small Businesses (FSB).

Omniglot Limited is registered in England & Wales
Registration number: 6624958
Registered office: 11 William Street, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 1BG

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See this page in:
Cymraeg |čeština |français |magyar

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You can support this site byBuying Me A Coffee, and if you like what you see on this page, you can use the buttons below to share it with people you know.

Talk in Arabic - Learn Egyptian, Iraqi, Levantine, Sundanese, Moroccan, Algerian or Saudi Arabic

If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, or bycontributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.

Note: all links on this site toAmazon.com,Amazon.co.uk andAmazon.fr are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site.