Home›Sources›The World's Writing SystemsSourcesThe World's Writing SystemsCitation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "The World's Writing Systems." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/the-worlds-writing-systems.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). The World's Writing Systems. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/the-worlds-writing-systemsCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-the-world-s-writing-systems, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {The World's Writing Systems}, year = {2026}, url = {https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/the-worlds-writing-systems}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXThis survey was assembled from contributions by specialists in individual writing systems, each covering the script they work on directly rather than one or two editors generalizing across scripts they do not specialize in, which is the real structural strength behind treating it as an authority here. It was added to this atlas specifically to fill a gap: the collection previously held no dedicated authority on the history and structure of the Hebrew, Greek and Latin alphabets, only general reference entries. This record has not independently traced a documented history of corrections between its printings. It is a strong source for a script's origins, letter count and structural development. It is not a source on the religious or magical significance later traditions attached to individual letters, which is a separate claim needing its own separate citation.FactsClaims Backed By This Source (8,006 claims)Comments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsAssessmentReliability TierWell-attested1A scholarly survey of the world's writing systems from a university press, edited by two specialists in linguistics and epigraphy, the standard academic reference for how scripts originated and developed.NotesWell-attestedStandard scholarly survey of the world's scripts. Added by the browse-property Kabbalah/Magic/Angels batch because the corpus previously held no Tier-1 writing-systems authority: its only alphabet references were Tier-2 reference articles. Cited here for the letter-counts and origins of the Hebrew, Greek and Latin alphabets at browse-grouping level.CitationAuthorWell-attestedPeter T. Daniels and William Bright (eds.)PublisherWell-attestedOxford University PressPublication YearWell-attested1996URLWell-attestedhttps://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-worlds-writing-systems-9780195079937Source TypeWell-attestedreferenceClaims Backed By This Source (8,006 claims)This source backs 8,006 claims across the atlas. As facts: 6,287 well-attested, 104 scholarly debate, 6 open question. As cited relationships: 784 holds, 9 connected. Plus 816 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.Disposition By TopicAlphabet Letters, 6,255 claims: 4,757 well-attested, 103 scholarly debate, 5 open question, 691 holds, 699 general references.Articles, 1,276 claims: 1,264 well-attested, 5 holds, 7 general references.Languages, 200 claims: 73 well-attested, 55 holds, 72 general references.Scripts & Magical Alphabets, 120 claims: 73 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 25 holds, 21 general references.Open Questions, 102 claims: 80 well-attested, 1 holds, 9 connected, 12 general references.Subcategories, 33 claims: 25 well-attested, 4 holds, 4 general references.Historical Figures, 12 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 open question, 3 holds, 1 general references.Sources, 8 claims: 8 well-attested.Well-attested6,287Alphabet LettersAAb ࡁAd ࡃAf (Fa) ፈAg ࡂAh ࡄAin ࡘAira ਅAk ࡊAksa ࡉAl ࡋAlaf ࠀAlaph ܐAlephAleph (I)Aleph (U)Aleph אAlf (Glottal A) አAlif اAlpha ⲁAlpha αAm ࡌAn ࡍAp ࡐAq ࡒAr ࡓAs ࡎAsh ࡔAsz ࡑAt ࡕAtt ࡈAvestan A 𐬀Avestan Aa 𐬁Avestan Aan 𐬅Avestan Aao 𐬃Avestan Ae 𐬆Avestan Aee 𐬇Avestan An 𐬄Avestan Ao 𐬂Avestan Be 𐬠Avestan Bhe 𐬡Avestan Ce 𐬗Avestan De 𐬛Avestan Dhe 𐬜Avestan E 𐬈Avestan Ee 𐬉Avestan Fe 𐬟Avestan Ge 𐬔Avestan Gge 𐬕Avestan Ghe 𐬖Showing 1 to 50 of 2,052 entities carrying this claim. NextScholarly debate104Alphabet LettersAf (Fa) ፈAira ਅAlf (Glottal A) አAlpha ⲁAyn (Pharyngeal A) ዐBabba ਬBet (Ba) በBeta ⲃBhabbha ਭChachcha ਚChhachha ਛḌadda ਡDadda ਦDant (Da) ደDelta ⲇDevanagari Dda डDevanagari Ddha ढDevanagari Nna णDevanagari Tta टDevanagari Ttha ठḌhaddha ਢDhaddha ਧEi ⲉEta ⲏFai ϥGagga ਗGaml (Ga) ገGamma ⲅGhagga ਘHaha ਹHarm (Xa) ኀHawt (Hha) ሐHori ϩHoy (Ha) ሀIota ⲓIri ੲJajja ਜJanja ϫJhajja ਝKaf (Ka) ከKakka ਕKappa ⲕKhai ϧKhakkha ਖKhi ⲭKsi ⲝKyima ϭLalla ਲLaula ⲗLawe (La) ለShowing 1 to 50 of 102 entities carrying this claim. NextOpen question6Alphabet LettersAvestan A 𐬀Fert ФFritu ⰗPe ⰚUk ѸHistorical FiguresEucleides of AthensHolds784Alphabet LettersAAb ࡁAd ࡃAf (Fa) ፈAg ࡂAh ࡄAin ࡘAk ࡊAksa ࡉAl ࡋAlaf ࠀAlaph ܐAlephAleph (I)Aleph (U)Aleph אAlf (Glottal A) አAlif اAlpha ⲁAlpha αAm ࡌAn ࡍAp ࡐAq ࡒAr ࡓAs ࡎAsh ࡔAsz ࡑAt ࡕAtt ࡈAvestan A 𐬀Avestan Aa 𐬁Avestan Aan 𐬅Avestan Aao 𐬃Avestan Ae 𐬆Avestan Aee 𐬇Avestan An 𐬄Avestan Ao 𐬂Avestan Be 𐬠Avestan Bhe 𐬡Avestan Ce 𐬗Avestan De 𐬛Avestan Dhe 𐬜Avestan E 𐬈Avestan Ee 𐬉Avestan Fe 𐬟Avestan Ge 𐬔Avestan Gge 𐬕Avestan Ghe 𐬖Avestan He 𐬵Showing 1 to 50 of 604 entities carrying this claim. NextConnected9Open QuestionsDid the opaque Glagolitic letter names, fritu, heru, tsi and sha among them, ever carry a sense in Slavonic?Did the opaque letter names at the end of the Slavic alphabets, fert, kher, tsy and sha among them, ever carry a sense in Slavonic?Is the Ge'ez letter payt a modification of tayt?Is the thirty-five letter painti order attested in the Punjab before the sixteenth century, and if so in what form?Were the Glagolitic letter names composed as a connected devotional text, or do they read as one only in retrospect?Where do the Glagolitic letterforms come from?Where does the Ge'ez letter psa come from?Which letter carries the numeral 400 in Church Slavonic, uk or izhitsa?Who devised the Avestan alphabet?General References816Alphabet LettersAAb ࡁAd ࡃAf (Fa) ፈAg ࡂAh ࡄAin ࡘAira ਅAk ࡊAksa ࡉAl ࡋAlaf ࠀAlaph ܐAlephAleph (I)Aleph (U)Aleph אAlf (Glottal A) አAlif اAlpha ⲁAlpha αAm ࡌAn ࡍAp ࡐAq ࡒAr ࡓAs ࡎAsh ࡔAsz ࡑAt ࡕAtt ࡈAvestan A 𐬀Avestan Aa 𐬁Avestan Aan 𐬅Avestan Aao 𐬃Avestan Ae 𐬆Avestan Aee 𐬇Avestan An 𐬄Avestan Ao 𐬂Avestan Be 𐬠Avestan Bhe 𐬡Avestan Ce 𐬗Avestan De 𐬛Avestan Dhe 𐬜Avestan E 𐬈Avestan Ee 𐬉Avestan Fe 𐬟Avestan Ge 𐬔Avestan Gge 𐬕Avestan Ghe 𐬖Showing 1 to 50 of 816 entities carrying this claim. 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