Anglo-Saxon and thee-and-thou
Old English Translator
Type English and get a word-by-word Old English gloss (late West Saxon, with macrons), or switch to the “thee and thou” style most people mean by old English. Real Old English grammar is not modelled, so this is a gloss, not a translation.
Old English gloss
16 of 16 words translated.
A gloss, not a translation. Each word is swapped for one standard late West Saxon form. Real Old English case endings, gender, verb forms and word order are not modelled, so the result is not grammatical Old English. Words underlined with dots are not in the dictionary and stay in Modern English; dashed words show a dictionary form only. Macrons (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) are a modern editorial mark.
Word by word
- The → Se se (masc.), sēo (fem.), þæt (neut.) in real Old English; the choice depends on gender, number and case
- king → cyning
- and → and
- his → his
- friend → frēond
- came → cōm
- to → tō
- house → hūs
- at → æt
- night → niht
- water → wæter
- was → wæs
- cold → ceald
The text you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server or saved by this tool, and it works from the word lists on this page. Use Copy or Download to keep a result.
How the Anglo-Saxon gloss works
Each English word is looked up in a curated list of about 350 common words and replaced with one standard late West Saxon form, written with macrons for long vowels. Capitalization, spacing and punctuation are kept. Words not in the list stay in modern English and are underlined with dots, so you can see exactly what was and was not translated.
The reverse direction reads Old English back into modern English from the same list. It accepts text without macrons, æ typed as ae, and þ or ð typed as th.
What it cannot do
Real Old English has five cases, three genders, strong and weak verbs, and freer word order. None of that is modelled. “The” becomes se here, but a real sentence would need se, sēo, þæt or another form depending on gender, number and case. Verbs appear in the dictionary form, not conjugated.
That is why the result is a gloss, not grammatical Old English. Do not rely on it for a tattoo, an inscription or a document where mistakes would matter.
Reading the result
Æ is like the a in “cat,” þ and ð are both a th sound, and ƿ is w. The guide on Old English letters explains how to type them. Copy the result to paste it elsewhere, or download it as a text file.
Three things people call “old English”
A search for an old English translator can mean three different things. Anglo-Saxon, or Old English proper, was spoken from about 450 to 1150 and looks foreign. Middle English, the language of Chaucer, runs from about 1100 to 1500. The “thee and thou” style is Early Modern English, from Shakespeare’s era.
This site covers all three, so you can choose the one you mean. The mode switch above picks between Anglo-Saxon and the thee-and-thou style, and the extra translators below add Shakespeare, Middle English, formal English and a playful medieval voice.
Getting better results
- Use short, plain sentences. The dictionary knows common words, not slang or names.
- Watch the dotted underlines: those words were not translated.
- For thee-and-thou text, check whether “you” became thou or thee correctly.
- For anything permanent or public, compare your result with a dictionary such as Bosworth-Toller.
More translators
More old-style English translators.
Shakespeare Translator
Turn modern English into Shakespearean English: thou, thee, thy, hath, doth and simple verb endings. Free, in your browser, with an optional heavier style.
Shakespeare to Modern English Translator
Translate Shakespeare’s English into plain modern English: thou, thee, hath, doth, wherefore, anon and more, with a short list of every word it changed.
Fancy English Translator
Turn everyday English into formal, polished wording: get becomes obtain, help becomes assist. Two levels, free, and your text stays in your browser.
Medieval Translator
Write like a medieval tavern keeper: hail, good morrow, milord, thee and thou. A playful medieval and fantasy style, not a historical language.
Middle English Translator
Gloss modern English into Chaucer-era Middle English spellings like knyght and chirche, or look words up in reverse. A word list, not a full translation.
The studio notebook
A useful place to begin.
Clear steps, considered details, and ideas you can put to use.
Old English, Middle English and Early Modern English: what each one is
A plain guide to the three older stages of English: Anglo-Saxon, Chaucer’s Middle English and Shakespeare’s Early Modern English, with rough dates and one word in all three.
Thou, thee, thy and thine: how the old pronouns work
What thou, thee, thy, thine and ye actually mean, how verbs change after them, and the mistakes that make fake old English look wrong.
Shakespeare’s words that changed meaning: wherefore, anon and more
Wherefore means why, not where. Learn that and a short list of other Shakespearean words that look familiar or foreign, and what they meant to his audience.
How to write a convincing medieval or fantasy letter or toast
Practical steps for party invitations, game messages and toasts in a playful medieval voice: the opening, thee and thou, concrete words, and what to avoid.
Reading Chaucer: how Middle English spelling works
Why Middle English looks so strange, which letters and silent-looking spellings you will meet, and a simple method for reading a line of Chaucer.
Old English letters: æ, þ, ð and ƿ, and how to type them
What the four special Old English letters are, how they sound, why modern editions change them, and ways to type each one on Windows, Mac and phones.
A few helpful answers
Before you begin.
Is this a real Old English translation?
No. The Anglo-Saxon mode is a word-by-word gloss. It replaces each word with a standard form from a small dictionary, but it does not model case endings, gender, verb forms or word order, so the result is not grammatical Old English. Treat it as a learning aid.
What is the difference between Old English and “thee and thou” English?
Old English (Anglo-Saxon) was spoken from about 450 to 1150 and is very different from today’s English. The “thee and thou” style is Early Modern English from about 1500 to 1700, the English of Shakespeare and the King James Bible. Most people who want “old English” mean the second one.
Why are some of my words underlined with dots?
Dotted words are not in the dictionary, so they stay in modern English. Dashed words are shown in dictionary form because the exact ending is not modelled. Plain words were swapped from the list.
Can I use this for a tattoo, a sign or a wedding?
Please do not rely on it. A word list cannot produce correct Old English grammar, and mistakes in permanent text are costly. Check any result against a dictionary such as Bosworth-Toller, or ask a specialist.
How do I type þ, ð and æ?
Copy them from the result, or use the character codes in our guide on Old English letters. In reverse mode you can type th for þ or ð, and ae for æ, and leave off macrons.
Is my text stored or sent anywhere?
No. The text is translated in your browser from word lists loaded with the page. The tool does not send or save what you type. The site counts visits and tool use in aggregate, without your text.
How big is the dictionary?
The Anglo-Saxon list has about 350 entries and the Middle English list has about 230. Both are curated for common words and leave out anything that could not be given with confidence.