Ossetian Typing Speed Test
Free Online Ossetian Keyboard – Type Ирон æвзаг with Ӕ
Welcome to the Ossetian keyboard online (ирон æвзаг)! Our free virtual keyboard provides the Cyrillic alphabet plus Ӕ/ӕ, the letter that defines written Ossetian and that no standard Russian keyboard can produce. It runs in your browser on any computer, tablet, or phone, with nothing to install.
An Iranian language written in Cyrillic. Ossetian is spoken by around half a million people in North Ossetia in the Russian Federation and in South Ossetia, and it is not a Slavic or Turkic language at all — it belongs to the Eastern Iranian group, making its closest relatives Persian, Pashto, and Kurdish rather than any of its neighbours. It is the last living descendant of the language of the Alans, and before them the Scythians and Sarmatians of the steppe, which gives it an outsized importance in the study of Iranian linguistics.
The letter Ӕ. Ossetian's most recognisable feature in writing is Ӕ/ӕ, representing a central vowel that Russian has no sign for. It is extremely frequent — it appears in the language's own name for itself, ирон æвзаг — and it is a distinct Cyrillic character, not the Latin ligature æ that it resembles. Substituting the Latin one produces text that looks correct but fails to match in search or sort properly, so a keyboard that emits the right codepoint matters.
Iron and Digor. Ossetian has two main dialects. Iron is spoken by the majority and forms the basis of the literary standard; Digor, spoken in the west, is different enough that it is sometimes treated as a separate language and has its own written tradition. Ossetian also relies heavily on digraphs — къ, хъ, пъ, тъ, цъ, чъ, дж, дз — for sounds a single letter cannot carry, all of which are typed from ordinary Cyrillic keys.
Perfect for: Ossetian speakers writing in their own language, schools and publishers working in Iron or Digor, folklorists and readers of the Nart sagas, Iranian-language linguists and comparative philologists, and diaspora communities keeping in touch.
Related keyboards: Ossetian shares most of its alphabet with Russian. Its linguistic relatives are written in other scripts — see Persian and Pashto. Switch with the Layout dropdown above.
Your privacy is guaranteed – all typing happens 100% locally in your browser. Nothing you write is sent to a server, stored, or logged.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ossetian language?
Ossetian (ирон æвзаг) is spoken by around half a million people in North Ossetia in Russia and in South Ossetia. It is an Eastern Iranian language, so its closest relatives are Persian, Pashto, and Kurdish — not Russian or any neighbouring Caucasian language.
Why is Ossetian important to linguists?
It is the last living descendant of Alanic, and behind that the Scythian and Sarmatian speech of the Eurasian steppe. That makes it the only modern window onto a whole branch of Iranian, and it is studied well out of proportion to its speaker numbers.
What is the letter Ӕ?
Ӕ/ӕ represents a central vowel that Russian has no sign for, and it is the most recognisable feature of written Ossetian — it appears in the language's own name, ирон æвзаг. It is a Cyrillic character in its own right, not the Latin æ ligature it resembles.
Does it matter if I use the Latin æ instead?
Yes. The two look nearly identical but have different Unicode codepoints, so Latin æ in Ossetian text breaks search, sorting, and spellchecking. This keyboard produces the correct Cyrillic Ӕ/ӕ.
What is the difference between Iron and Digor?
They are the two main dialects. Iron is spoken by the majority and underlies the literary standard; Digor, spoken in the west, differs enough that it is sometimes treated as a separate language and has its own written tradition.
How do I type sounds like къ and хъ?
Ossetian writes many of its distinctive consonants as digraphs — къ, хъ, пъ, тъ, цъ, чъ, дж, дз — built from ordinary Cyrillic letters plus the hard sign. Type the letters in sequence; no special key is needed.
Is this Ossetian keyboard free?
Yes, completely free. There is no cost, no registration, no account, and no limit on how much you type. The site is supported by advertising, which is what keeps the keyboard free to use for everyone.
Does it work on mobile phones and tablets?
Yes. The layout is fully responsive and works on Android and iOS phones, tablets, Chromebooks, Windows, and macOS. On a touchscreen you tap the letters directly, which makes it a practical way to type Ossetian on a device with no Ossetian keyboard installed.
Is my typing private?
Completely private. All processing happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your text is never transmitted to a server, never stored, and never logged, so it is safe for personal and sensitive writing.
What are the Nart sagas?
A cycle of heroic tales shared across the Caucasus, of which the Ossetian versions are among the most extensive and best known. They are a major reason Ossetian folklore and language are studied internationally.
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