You now have all the pieces: one-, two- and three-consonant signs, complements (Phonetic Complements) and silent signs at the end. Here is a method for reading any word.
Key idea
A worked reading
Take 𓋾𓈎𓄿𓀀. The seated man 𓀀 at the end is a determinative: the word is about a man. The crook writes ḥqꜣ. The hill slope and the vulture repeat q and ꜣ, so they are complements. The word is ḥqꜣ, said “heqa”, “ruler”.
The method works on longer words too. 𓂋𓅓𓍿𓀀𓁐𓏥 has three sound signs (r, m, ṯ) and then three silent signs: a man, a woman and plural strokes. The word is rmṯ “people”, men and women together.
Why it works
Common mistake
Worked example: Ptah
- Stool p and loaf t (stacked): p, t.
- Wick: ḥ.
- Seated god: determinative, not read.
Answer: ptḥ, Ptah
Worked example: The sun
- Mouth r over arm ꜥ: r, ꜥ.
- Sun disk with stroke: determinative of the sun.
Answer: rꜥ “sun, Ra”
After step 4, check your result against the vocabulary you know or a dictionary. If no word fits, look again: perhaps a sign has a second reading, a complement was read twice, or the word ended earlier than you thought. Reading Egyptian is a little like solving a crossword: the sounds, the determinative and the context must all agree.
Worked example: A place
- The column writes jwn.
- The pot nw repeats n and adds w.
- The village with crossroads is the determinative of towns.
Answer: jwnw Heliopolis