History Main / Wingdinglish

* Used a lot by Marvel characters like [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]], in a font that looks like Elder Futhark, for casting spells. In ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'', when he uses something that would translate to "rjerdwrbr" in Real Life Runes, he's actually saying "elsewhere," to take him, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin elsewhere.]] [[http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc5fbwXhTp1qb3w08.png Here's]] the key.

* The ''Prometheus and Bob'' alien subtitles, which look like CropCircles.

* {{Creator/Marvel}} does that with the Skrull language when it's left untranslated. Look for "He loves you" in ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion''.

* Used a lot by Marvel characters like Loki, in a font that looks like Elder Futhark, for casting spells. In ComicBook/YoungAvengers, when he uses something that would translate to "rjerdwrbr" in Real Life Runes, he's actually saying "elsewhere," to take him, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin elsewhere.]] [[http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc5fbwXhTp1qb3w08.png Here's]] the key.

** Builder Machine Code in ''Comicbook/JonathanHickmansAvengers''. Particularly notable when Iron Man mistranslates [[spoiler: Nightmask]] as Blackveil; it's an understandable translation mistake, but the diagram on his computer screen makes it look more like a mistake in ''transliteration'', as though he was actually trying to work out what English letters the symbols were equivalent to rather than the meaning of completely alien words.
** The Krakoan language in ''Comicbook/JonathanHickmansXMen''.

* ''Anime/ShimaShimaToraNoShimajiro'' uses the PlayStation symbols (circle, cross, triangle and square) as substitution for letters and glyphs in the anime where smaller prints are concerned. Larger prints seems to bounce between the Latin alphabet, hiragana or larger, colored versions of the PlayStation symbols depending on the level of accuracy required.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' eventually started using its own symbol-cipher of English for written text (rather than just using Japanese writing as had been done earlier) in order to make localization easier. There are several different variations used throughout the anime.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' eventually started using its own symbol-cipher of English for written text (rather than just using Japanese writing as had been done earlier) in order to make localization easier. There are several different variations used throughout the anime.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' used braille for this (the player's guide had the translations in it). The only place it was used was in a puzzle to unlock some of the legendary Pokémon. ''Fire Red'' and ''Leaf Green'' also used some braille during the Sevii Islands quest.

* Hylian in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' was a cipher for Hiragana, while ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' used one for Katakana. By ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', it was merely stylized Latin letters in English (though the mirroring used undermined this).

* The [[http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Standard_Galactic_Alphabet Standard Galactic Alphabet]] in the ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'' games.

* Strangely, even though many of the characters in ''Franchise/StarWars'' speak English, all computer consoles starting with ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', but later including the Special Editions of the previous two films show a made-up script called Aurebesh. The idea is that while [[TranslationConvention the audience hears their own language]], the characters are actually speaking a galactically common tongue referred to as "Basic" in the expanded media. It's somewhat complicated by the fact that Aurebesh writing is English [[CypherLanguage processed through a fictional alphabet]].

* The Shroob aliens in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'' use a set of strange, unique glyphs. From the few lines of their language that are given translations near the end of the game, it's possible to puzzle out a couple of words that consistently appear in their "dialogue" ([[AliensAreBastards mainly "DESTROY"]]).

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', one of your party members introduces himself as "♥♪!?". As he points out, this is [[TheUnpronounceable somewhat difficult for ordinary mortals to pronounce]], so he lets you call him "Geno", after the doll he's possessing.

* The Koppaites in ''[[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} Pikmin 3]]'' have their own language with text that shows up on various interfaces. The developers included the cipher in the game's data, allowing for a [[http://www.pikminwiki.com/Koppaite_text full translation.]] While a lot of the text is descriptors, there are some pieces that are developers' comments and a few that make no sense.

* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' has DigiCode, or Digimoji, a cypher of katakana and English used throughout the Digital World. It can be seen on signs, ruins, magic circles, evolution sequences, and even the Digimon themselves.

* Strangely, even though many of the characters in ''StarWars'' speak English, all computer consoles starting with ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', but later including the Special Editions of the previous two films show a made-up script called Aurebesh. The idea is that while [[TranslationConvention the audience hears their own language]], the characters are actually speaking a galactically common tongue referred to as "Basic" in the expanded media. It's somewhat complicated by the fact that Aurebesh writing is English [[CypherLanguage processed through a fictional alphabet]].

An "alien language" is represented as English with a weird [[UsefulNotes/{{Fonts}} font]] for the letters instead of the Latin alphabet. Many examples in comic books, some in video games, a few in sci-fi movies and TV. ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'' and ''StarWars'' are examples of the latter use. Since this requires a visual (and lends itself particularly well to comic books), it can be considered a form of PaintingTheMedium.

** This is also noticable in ''VideoGame/TheSims4''. Having a minor play Keyboard Commander is a great way reveal part of the cypher used by the game, since the game will show the item and require the sim to type in the corresponding word. And you know something is fishy when ''cat'' and ''car'' also has three letters in written Simlish, just like they do in English, and the letters are also consistent. However, the Simlish in ''Sims 3'' and later is different from that in previous titles: with more obscure symbols and more use of circles that make it look closer to Korean than Greek.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2008-01-12 aliens occasionally have this]] in their {{Speech Bubble}}s..

* Music/{{Coldplay}}'s ''Music of the Spheres'', there are 12 fictional planets, each representing one song on the album. Each planet has their own "alien" language. Early in the promotion for the album, the language "Kaotican" was used to promote their single "Higher Power". When fans figured out the translation, it gave them the song title and release date of the single.

* For their single "Higher Power", Music/{{Coldplay}} created Kaotican, the language used on the fictional planet Kaotica.

A specific subtrope of {{Fictionary}} and CypherLanguage. [[http://www.omniglot.com/writing/fictional.php Here]] is a great site about this. Contrast with ConLang.

* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' series as a whole tend to wobble between the English alphabet and {{Wingdinglish}}. Occasionally they'll have English words but at other times they'll have made up letters.

* The TropeNamer, naturally, is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingdings Wingdings]]. Instead of letters, it uses a variety of random symbols: ranging from hands to faces to normal objects. These were essentially proto-emoji, and indeed every glyph in Wingdings (and the related Webdings) has been given a corresponding proper emoji -- leading to some accusations of SkewedPriorities as things like "[[https://emojipedia.org/man-in-business-suit-levitating/ Man in Suit Levitating]]" are made into emoji before (insert whatever here).

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* ''VideoGame/HyperLightDrifter'': The blocky, rectilinear glyphs can be decoded into English. The single-word signs outside shops are easy. The extensive text that covers the hidden monoliths is difficult but, if deciphered, [[spoiler: reveals an ApocalypticLog]].

* ''VideoGame/HyperLightDrifter'': The blocky, rectilinear glyphs can be decoded into English. The single-word signs outside shops are easy. The extensive text that covers the hidden monoliths is difficult but, if deciphered, [[spoiler: reveals an ApocalypticLog]].

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