Dictionary Lookups
Old English
Finding variant spellings in an Old English dictionary
These variations are products of (a) dialectal differences (b) scribal quirks. This is not an exhaustive list. Basically, almost any vowel can substitute for any other vowel under the right dialectal/scribal quirky circumstances. If you don't find what you want from this list, try looking up other vowels. I just thought that a list that had all the vowels in two columns would be less useful than this, which lists the most common correspondences.
If you're using the Clark Hall dictionary, note that he often lists variants in brackets after the headword.
Note also that the two columns more or less go from left to right; i.e., if you encounter a vowel in the left column, look it up under the vowel in the right column. However, you should also be aware that it can go the other way, so use it that way too.
Finally, be aware of syncopation and consonant assimilation in strong verbs, which is well explained in most Old English textbooks (e.g., 3rd person singular present indicative of rīdan, which you’d expect to be rīdeþ, is often rītt, etc.).
If you see: Look under:
a æ
æ e
ǣ æġ
ē ēġ
g (between r & a vowel) no g (between r & a vowel)
example: byrging/byring
i y
ī ȳ
ie y
īe ȳ
ie i
īe ī
io eo
īo ēo
ēh ēah
ī iġ
a + consonant ea + consonant
o + nasal a + nasal
scea- sca-
sceo- sca-
ū ug
wu weo