The grid you learned in The d, k, m, n and p Rows and The Other Rows: j, q, r, s, t, w, z covers most Linear B writing. But scribes also had about fourteen extra signs with known values, outside the grid. Scholars call them special signs. They are the reason you see numbers like a2 in transliterations.
Key idea
Special signs write syllables beyond the plain grid: a2 (ha), a3 (ai), au, pu2 (phu), ra2 (rya), ra3 (rai), ro2 (ryo), ta2 (tya), and clusters like dwe, dwo, nwa, pte, twe and two. They were optional: scribes could usually spell the same word with basic signs.
| Sign | Number | Written | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| 𐁀 | *25 | a2 | ha |
| 𐁁 | *43 | a3 | ai |
| 𐁂 | *85 | au | au |
| 𐁃 | *71 | dwe | dwe |
| 𐁄 | *90 | dwo | dwo |
| 𐁅 | *48 | nwa | nwa |
| 𐁆 | *29 | pu2 | phu |
| 𐁇 | *62 | pte | pte |
| 𐁈 | *76 | ra2 | rya (also lla) |
| 𐁉 | *33 | ra3 | rai (also lai) |
| 𐁊 | *68 | ro2 | ryo (also llo) |
| 𐁋 | *66 | ta2 | tya |
| 𐁌 | *87 | twe | twe |
| 𐁍 | *91 | two | two |
How to write them
In transliteration a special sign is written with a digit: a2, pu2, ra3. Books often print the digit small (a₂). On this site, type the plain digit: e-ma-a2 for Hermes. Say the digit as a name, not a sound: "a-two", which is read ha.
| Signs | Read | Greek | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 𐀁𐀔𐁀 | e-ma-a2 | Ἑρμῆς Hermes | Hermes |
| 𐁁𐀓𐀠𐀴𐀍 | a3-ku-pi-ti-jo | Αἰγύπτιος Aiguptios | Egyptian (used as a name) |
| 𐀐𐀩𐁀 | ke-re-a2 | σκέλη skele | legs |
Why it works
Why have optional signs at all? Scripts collect useful extras over time. A sign for ha or ai saves a scribe from spelling a sound only roughly, and a cluster sign like two writes in one stroke what would otherwise take two signs. But nothing forced their use, and the same word sometimes appears with and without them. Several of them, such as au, nwa, pu2 and ta2, also appear in Linear A.
Common mistake
Thinking the special signs are required, or that words without them are misspelled. They were optional shortcuts. Check: olive oil appears both as e-ra-wo, with plain ra, and as e-ra3-wo, with the special sign rai; both are correct. The grid is the core of the script; the special signs are extras.
Worked example: Read a special sign
In 𐀁𐀔𐁀, how is the last sign read?
- The last sign is *25, a2.
- a2 is read ha.
Answer: a2, read ha: e-ma-ha, Hermes
Worked example: Type it
How do you type the word for "Egyptian" whose first sign is a3?
- Write the special sign with its digit, then the rest with hyphens.
Answer: a3-ku-pi-ti-jo