Shakespeare translator
Translate modern English into Shakespearean English, with thou, thee and thy, or read Shakespearean back as plain English. Free and private.
Your Shakespearean translation will appear here.Rule-based and approximate: a hand-written phrase and word table plus the thou/thee/thy rules. It styles a sentence in Shakespeare's manner; it does not quote the plays.
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Everything you need to speak like Shakespeare
Both directions
Turn modern English into Shakespearean English, or read Shakespearean back as plain English.
Instant, no download
Rule-based, so there is no word list to load. It works the moment the page opens.
Thou, thee, thy and thine
Picks the right form from the sentence, and adds the -est verb endings.
Old words and phrases
Swaps in wherefore, hither, ere, prithee, methinks and about 150 more.
Honest about changes
A note counts how many words changed, so you can see what the tool did.
100% private
Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored.
Translate in three steps
- 1
Pick a direction
Choose Modern → Shakespearean to rewrite a message, or Shakespearean → Modern to read a line from a play.
- 2
Type or paste your text
Paste a sentence or a few lines. Unlike the other translators there is no word list to load, so it works instantly.
- 3
Read the note and copy
The result updates as you type. A note tells you how many words changed. Copy it or download a .txt.
Built for students, actors and anyone writing a card
Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English, which is close enough to ours to read and different enough to be fun. This tool applies the real rules that make it sound that way.
Students and teachers
Check what a line from a play says in plain English, or turn homework notes into Shakespearean for fun.
Cards, toasts and captions
Write a birthday card, wedding toast or social post in the voice of the Bard.
Actors and event hosts
Get a quick Shakespearean draft for a script, a party invitation or a themed event.
Curious readers
Paste a line you half understand and see the modern version.
Frequently asked questions
What makes English sound Shakespearean?
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Mostly a handful of word changes: thou and thee for you, thy and thine for your, and verb endings like -est and -eth (thou knowest, he doth). Add old words such as wherefore (why), hither (here), ere (before) and prithee (please) and it reads like the Bard.
How does this Shakespeare translator work?
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It uses rules, not a dictionary: a hand-written table of about 150 phrases and words, plus the thou/thee/thy rules and verb endings. It does not understand meaning, so it works best on simple, direct sentences.
Why are so many words unchanged?
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Shakespeare's English is still English. Most words, such as the, king, love and sword, were the same then. Only the words that changed are swapped, and the note under the result counts them.
What is the difference between thou and thee?
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Thou is the subject form (thou art), thee the object form (I love thee). Thy goes before a consonant (thy friend) and thine before a vowel (thine eyes). The tool picks between them with simple rules and sometimes gets it wrong on unusual sentences.
Is this real Shakespearean language?
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It is the style, not a quotation. Shakespeare's English had more variety than any rule set can capture, so the result is a good imitation, not scholarly text. For exact meanings of words in the plays, use a Shakespeare glossary.
Can I translate Shakespeare back to modern English?
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Yes. Switch to Shakespearean → Modern. It handles the common words (thou, hath, wherefore, prithee, ere) and the -est verb endings. A full speech from a play needs a footnoted edition.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
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No. The rules run in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server.
Translate Shakespeare now
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