You can read sound signs. Hieroglyphs have two more kinds of signs that work with ideas, not sounds. Once you spot them, words become much easier to read.
Key idea
Some signs are word signs: they mean just what they show, like the house sign for "house," often with a little stroke under it. Other signs are hint signs at the end of a word: they show what kind of thing the word is about, like walking legs for "go." Hint signs are not said out loud.
Why it works
Egyptians did not write vowels, so many words looked alike. A hint sign at the end solved that. A seated woman says "this word is about a woman," the sun says "about time or light," and walking legs say "about moving." Experts call hint signs determinatives.
Worked example: Which hint sign?
A word ends with walking legs. What kind of word is it probably?
- Walking legs are a hint sign.
- They show movement.
Answer: A word about moving, like "go" or "come."
Worked example: Say it or not?
The word for "daughter" is written duck, loaf, seated woman. Which sign is not said?
- The duck is sa and the loaf is t: sat.
- The seated woman is the hint sign.
Answer: The seated woman. The word is said "sat."
Common mistake
Trying to say every sign. Hint signs at the end of a word are silent; they only help you guess the meaning. Check: does the last sign show a kind of thing (person, sun, legs, water)? It is probably a hint sign.