Speak, and be heard.
Turn the words of the Free Peoples into the harsh tongue
devised in the shadows of Barad-dûr.
Ash nazg durbatulûk
A Fragmentary Tongue
Only a small canon vocabulary survives. Unknown words are rendered as atmospheric reconstructions—not presented as Tolkien-authenticated terms.
Forged for Command
Black Speech is agglutinative: roots gather endings into hard, compact orders. This translator preserves known phrases before shaping invented forms.
Black Speech Dictionary
Eighteen roots attested in Tolkien’s own writing—mainly the One Ring inscription and a handful of names—with their English meaning.
- ash
- one
- nazg
- ring
- durb
- rule
- gimb
- seek out, find
- thrak
- bring
- agh
- and
- burz
- dark
- burzum
- darkness
- krimp
- bind
- ishi
- in
- uruk
- orc
- hai
- folk, people
- gûl
- wraith, spirit
- lug
- tower
- sharkû
- old man
- snaga
- slave
- olog
- troll
- ghâsh
- fire
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Black Speech in The Lord of the Rings?
Black Speech is the language J.R.R. Tolkien invented for Sauron and his servants in Mordor. Tolkien wrote very little of it—mostly the couplet inscribed on the One Ring, plus a few names like Nazgûl and Lugbúrz.
How do you say “ring” in Black Speech?
Nazg. It appears twice in the One Ring’s inscription and forms half of Nazgûl: ring + wraith.
What does the inscription on the One Ring say?
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
It is the only full sentence of pure Black Speech Tolkien wrote, describing the Ring’s power to rule, seek out, and bind every other Ring of Power in darkness.
Is this translator historically accurate?
Partly. It uses eighteen real, attested Tolkien roots wherever an English word matches one. Everything else is invented deterministically, so the same word always translates the same way—but it is not official canon.
What does “Nazgûl” mean?
It combines nazg (ring) and gûl (wraith or spirit): literally “ring-wraith,” Tolkien’s name for Sauron’s nine Ringwraiths.
How much of this is real Black Speech?
Tolkien wrote almost none of the language down: the One Ring couplet, a few names such as Lugbúrz, Uruk-hai, and Nazgûl, and a corrupted Isengard war-cry that was not true Black Speech. He made it deliberately unpleasant; when Gandalf speaks it at the Council of Elrond, the Elves recoil. Tolkien reportedly used a fan-gifted goblet engraved with the inscription as an ashtray rather than drink from it.
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,
ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
The eighteen roots above are real and attested. Every other word this translator produces is invented—formed deterministically, so the same word always returns the same result.