Khmer alphabet

The Khmer script used in Cambodia is often cited as the world's longest alphabet, with 74 letters counting every consonant, vowel and independent vowel.

Counts vary with how letters are grouped.

Context

Guinness World Records lists the Khmer script of Cambodia as the longest alphabet, with 74 letters. The count includes some letters that are no longer in common use, so the working alphabet is shorter than the headline number.

Khmer belongs to the family of Indic scripts, which descend from ancient Indian writing systems. Letters are grouped into consonants, dependent vowel signs, independent vowels and extra marks, and many consonants come in two series that affect the vowel sound that follows.

Because there is no single agreed way to tally these symbols, totals vary. A source that counts only consonants and independent vowels will give a smaller figure than one that also counts dependent vowels and special signs. The record therefore reflects one counting convention, which is why this entry is rated as an estimate.

The script is written left to right without spaces between words, and its letters are known for subscript forms that stack under other consonants, so the visual complexity is part of why it draws attention in lists of unusual alphabets.