Several letters in the Syriac alphabet look alike and at times are difficult to distinguish. Poor handwriting can result in misunderstandings so it is important that we learn to write proficiently early in our studies.

The first group of similar letters are:
Beth: B or V sound.
Kof: K or Kh sound.*

The difference between the way these two sounds are written is that the Beth has a flatter elongated top, whereas the Kof wilts on its top left and is shorter than the Beth.
*This is the way we write Kof when it preceeds another letter.

The second group of similar letters are:
Dolath: D or eth (like the Old English/Icelandic letter Eth) sound.
Resh: R sound.

These letters are simply distinguished by a dot below the letter, as is the case with Dolath, or above the letter, as is the case with Resh.

The third group of similar letters are:
Heth: Heavy H sound.
Yodh: Y or EE sound.
Nun: N sound.

Heth and Yodh look exactly the same except there are two Yodhs to make one Heth. The Nun is the same as the Yodh, but a bit longer on top. These letters get confused more than any others.
Take for instance a name we use for John, Hanna. This name has been misread from the Syriac as "Yahya."

The forth group of similar letters (the loop letters) are:
Waw: W or O sound.
Qof: Q sound.
Pe: P or F sound.
Mem: M sound.
He: Normal H sound.

Waw is essentially a circle that does not connect on the left. Qof is similar to Waw, but a bit bigger and more oblong; it connects on the left. Pe is a smaller loop and has a neck which connects to the bottom. Mem is much like Waw but with a diagonal line jetting out of the left side. When Mem ends a word, the diagonal line becomes a tail. He is basically a Waw connected to a Zain. Sometimes a He looks like a Waw and Zain next to one another.

The fifth group of similar letters are:
Lomadh: L sound.
Ain: No sound in English. Closest to a gagging sound.

These are essentially the same letter, except that Ain is half the size as Lomadh.