Meaning & use
hieroglyphics ancient Egypt
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
The picture-based writing system used in ancient Egypt, in which symbols stood for sounds, words, or ideas.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; it can be the subject or object of a sentence, but it is not countable.
Patterns
- hieroglyphics ancient Egypt
- the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt
Scholars study hieroglyphics ancient Egypt to understand its religion and history.
The Rosetta Stone was key to decoding hieroglyphics ancient Egypt.
Many museums display objects covered in hieroglyphics ancient Egypt.
Common combinations
- read hieroglyphics
- Few people today can read hieroglyphics ancient Egypt without special training.
- decipher hieroglyphics
- It took years to decipher hieroglyphics ancient Egypt.
- ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
- Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics are found on temple walls.
- hieroglyphic script
- Hieroglyphic script was used for monumental inscriptions.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hieroglyphs
- This is the more technical term for the individual symbols; 'hieroglyphics' often refers to the system as a whole.
- picture writing
- A general term for any writing that uses pictures; it is less precise than 'hieroglyphics ancient Egypt'.
Word family
- hieroglyph noun
- A single symbol in a hieroglyphic writing system.
- hieroglyphic adjective
- Relating to or written in hieroglyphics.
Commonly confused: hieroglyphics ancient Egypt or hieroglyph?
hieroglyphics ancient Egypt vs hieroglyph
A 'hieroglyph' is one symbol; 'hieroglyphics' is the whole writing system.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hieroglyphics ancient Egypt' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses the phrase as the object of 'studied'. Option 1 is wrong because 'hieroglyphics' is not a countable object you can write one of. Option 2 is wrong because it is not modern art. Option 3 is wrong because you cannot speak hieroglyphics as a spoken language.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hieroglyphics ancient Egypt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.