Arabic Letter Game: Beginning, Middle and End Forms

Most Arabic letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. This game drills all of them: see a letter in its middle or end form and name it, pick how a letter is written at the start of a word, or hear a sound and find its letter.

How Letter Hunt helps you learn

How to play

Press Start. A round is ten letters, with three kinds of question mixed together.
Name the letter from one of its forms, pick the right form for a position, or tap the letter you hear.
The wrong answers are letters with the same body and different dots, the mix-ups that slow readers down.
After each answer you see all of the letter’s forms. At the end, replay the sounds of any you missed.

Common questions

Why do Arabic letters have different forms?

Arabic is joined-up writing. Most letters connect to the next one, so they have a form for the start, the middle and the end of a word, plus one for when they stand alone. ب is ﺑ at the start, ﺒ in the middle and ﺐ at the end.

Which letters don’t join?

Six letters never connect to the letter after them: ا, د, ذ, ر, ز and و. They only have a standalone form and an end form, which is why the game never asks for their start or middle form.

Is this game the same for every dialect?

Yes. Egyptian, Levantine, Moroccan Darija and Modern Standard Arabic all use the same alphabet, so there’s no dialect to choose.

I don’t know any letters yet. Where should I start?

Go through the interactive alphabet first, which teaches each letter with its sound. Then come back here to practise recognising them quickly.

More games

Room Hunt Step into a 3D kitchen, bathroom or restaurant and learn what everything is called. Scenarios Take a taxi, see a doctor, check in for a flight and order a coffee, in Arabic. Word Scramble Put the letters back in order and watch them join into a word. Odd One Out Four Arabic words, one doesn’t belong. Spot it, then learn why. Spot the Mistake One word in each Arabic sentence is wrong. Tap it and see the fix. Sentence Scramble Put the words of an Arabic sentence back in the right order. Memory Pairs Turn over cards and match each Arabic word to its meaning, or to its sound. Speed Round An Arabic word and a meaning: right or wrong? As many as you can in a minute. Listen & Spell Hear an Arabic word and pick how it’s spelled. س or ص? ت or ط? Dialect Match Is it Egyptian, Levantine, Moroccan or Fusha? Read it or hear it, and guess. Fill the Gap One word is missing from each Arabic sentence. Pick the one that fits. Shadowing Hear a native speaker, say it the same way, and see how close you got. Verb Blitz A verb, a person and a tense: pick the right form, in your dialect. Daily Root One Arabic root a day. Build the words that grow from it, in three tries each. Vocabulary Quiz Fresh sentences at your level, as multiple choice, listening or speaking rounds.