Learn Ugaritic Cuneiform! vs Massarrah

The Ugaritic cuneiform abjad developed from the more complex Sumerian cuneiform. The Ugaritic language is an extinct Northwest Semitic language, making its closest living relatives Hebrew and Neo-Aramaic varieties such as Syriac and Mandaic. Each cuneiform sign is displayed with its typical transliteration and Arabic equivalent. In the quiz section, you can specify if you want to quiz yourself against the transliteration or IPA, Syriac, Hebrew, Arabic, or Phoeneician equivalents. The Ugaritic signs are listed in the Northern order, similar to what is used for Hebrew. There is also a southern alphabetical order more similar to that used for South Arabian languages. Ugaritic was first discovered on clay in Ugarit, which is today called Ras Al Shamra, Syria. It has 30 letters, and one punctuation mark (a word divider). It was written starting sometime around 1400 BCE for a few hundred years. The phonological value of the letter "s2" is still debated. Cuneiform has also been used to write Sumerian, Akkadian (another Semitic language), Elamite, Hittite, Hurrian, and even Old Persian.

Five thousand years ago, the people of ancient Mesopotamia pressed the first written words into wet clay. Massarrah teaches you to read them. Cuneiform is humanity's oldest writing system. With Massarrah you don't just admire it behind museum glass — you learn it, sign by sign, at your own pace. LEARN REAL CUNEIFORM Master 44 authentic signs across four guided levels — vowels, syllables, logograms, and numbers. Every sign comes with its meaning, pronunciation, and audio, so you learn to recognize it and read it. EXPLORE THE FAMOUS TABLETS Discover the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Code of Hammurabi, the Cyrus Cylinder and more — each presented with the story of what it says and why it still matters today. PRACTICE THAT STICKS Massarrah schedules every review with spaced repetition — proven learning science — right before you'd forget. Eight cuneiform mini-games turn daily practice into something you'll want to return to. TRACK YOUR JOURNEY Build a daily streak, earn XP, climb the scribe ranks, and unlock 84 achievements as your skill grows. Your progress, your pace. WALK 5,000 YEARS OF HISTORY Follow the story of writing itself — from the first pictographs of Uruk to the empires that carried cuneiform across the ancient world. THOUGHTFULLY BUILT • Core lessons and practice work offline — learn anywhere • Private by default — start learning anonymously, no account required • Historically accurate — content grounded in real scholarship • Accessible — designed for learners of all abilities Whether you love history, collect languages, study the ancient world, or are simply curious where writing began — Massarrah turns 5,000 years of human history into something you can hold, read, and understand. Begin your journey as a scribe.