Alisa Glenrose
ENDE

English to Scots Translatorand Scots to English

A free translator between English and Scots, the Germanic language of Scotland – not Scottish Gaelic. Known words and phrases come from a small phrasebook checked against the Dictionaries of the Scots Language; any other text is translated by AI and is not checked by a person.

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Verified phrasebook

Verified words and phrases are translated directly.

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How the translator works

  1. Words and phrases in the verified phrasebook (36 words and 6 phrases) are answered directly, with a short note and a link to the dictionary entry.
  2. Any other text is translated by an AI language model when you press Translate. The result is marked as an AI translation: it is not checked by a person and can be wrong or mix regional forms.
  3. Each request is limited in length, and there is a limit per visitor and per day. When the AI is not available, the phrasebook still works.

What is Scots?

Scots is a Germanic language spoken in Scotland. It is closely related to English but has its own words, grammar and spelling traditions. It is not the same as Scottish Gaelic, which is a Celtic language.

Scots has regional varieties, traditionally grouped into dialect areas such as Insular (Orkney and Shetland), Northern, Central and Southern Scots, and there is more than one way to spell many words. This page uses widely recognised forms, many of which appear in Alisa Glenrose’s song lyrics; it does not stand for every speaker or every place.

Sources: FAQs on Scots — Scots Syntax Atlas · About Scots — Dictionaries of the Scots Language

Scots phrases with English meaning

Short learning examples from the phrasebook. Each one is answered directly by the translator.

ScotsEnglishNote
Haud fast.Hold firm.Read as an expression of holding on or standing firm. The adjective fast does not mean quickly in this phrase. Dictionary entry ↗
I dinnae ken.I don't know.Dinna ken is another written form. This is a short learning example, not an automatic template for all negative sentences. Dictionary entry ↗
ma ain hamemy own homeMa marks possession; ain adds the emphasis own. Ane would have a different function. Dictionary entry ↗
a wee bairna small childA learner phrase combining two common words. Local speakers may choose different words or spellings. Dictionary entry ↗
the ither kingthe other kingFrom the project’s story title: ither distinguishes the other king rather than a second name for the same man. Dictionary entry ↗
a cauld stanea cold stoneA short noun phrase based on the words in Cauld Stane. It is not a complete sentence. Dictionary entry ↗

Scots glossary: 36 words

Short learner meanings, not complete dictionary entries. Every word links to its entry in the Dictionaries of the Scots Language.

Everyday

aye
yes; alwaysTwo uses share this spelling: an answer meaning yes, and an adverb meaning always or still. In The Tide Aye Brings It Hame, always fits the sentence.Dictionary entry ↗
oot
outThe word has several uses as an adverb, preposition or adjective. Out is also found in Scots spelling.Dictionary entry ↗

People

bairn
child; babyBairns is a common plural. Wean is another Scots word for a child; local choices vary.Dictionary entry ↗
wumman
womanOne written form among woman, wuman, wumman and others. Spelling and pronunciation vary by region.Dictionary entry ↗
lass
girl; young womanThe exact sense depends on context; it can also refer to a daughter or girlfriend. Lassie is a related form.Dictionary entry ↗

Actions

haud
hold; keepIn Haud Fast, the sense is to hold firm or keep going. Other meanings depend on the phrase.In song titles: Haud Fast, Haud the LineDictionary entry ↗
hae
haveA frequent Scots verb. Related verb forms depend on tense and variety; a word swap is not a complete grammar.Dictionary entry ↗
ken
knowKent can be a past form. In a lyric, ken often signals knowing or understanding.Dictionary entry ↗
greet
cry; weepA useful false friend: Scots greet here concerns crying, not the English act of saying hello. Grat and gret are recorded past forms.Dictionary entry ↗

Describing things

wee
small; littleCan describe size or a small amount. Learn the meaning in a phrase, not only by its sound.Dictionary entry ↗
muckle
large; muchBefore a person or object it can mean large; in other settings it can express a great amount.Dictionary entry ↗
cauld
coldCan be an adjective or a noun. Cauld Stane is a useful title to read word by word.In song titles: Cauld StaneDictionary entry ↗
toom
emptyThis sense describes an empty place or container. Insular Scots also has a different toom meaning thumb; sentence context matters.Dictionary entry ↗
braw
fine; excellentCan express praise or describe good looks. Its force changes with context.Dictionary entry ↗
bonnie
beautiful; prettyMay describe people or things; bonny is another familiar spelling.Dictionary entry ↗
gey
veryOften an intensifier. In a gey wee neck it strengthens wee; other uses of gey have different meanings.Dictionary entry ↗

Places and landscape

nicht
nightThe ch spelling often represents the fricative heard in loch; regional pronunciations differ.In song titles: Thin the NichtDictionary entry ↗
hoose
houseCan refer to a house or home; the same written word can have other local uses.Dictionary entry ↗
stane
stoneSteen is a regional variant. Cauld stane pairs this noun with the word for cold.In song titles: Cauld StaneDictionary entry ↗
kirk
churchThe common noun can mean a church. The Kirk can refer specifically to the Church of Scotland.Dictionary entry ↗
brae
slope; hillsideOften a rising stretch of ground or a sloping bank. It is a landscape word, not simply any mountain.In song titles: Play Us Down the BraeDictionary entry ↗
watter
waterThis spelling is used in Black Watter. In some contexts the noun can also refer to a stream or small river.In song titles: Black WatterDictionary entry ↗
hame
homeCan be a noun or indicate movement home. The construction around it determines the English wording.Dictionary entry ↗

Small grammar words

ither
otherA word you meet in The Ither King. Ither is not an instruction to pronounce English other with an accent.Dictionary entry ↗
nae
no; not anyBefore a noun, nae commonly means no or not any. As a separate word meaning not, usage varies across Scots varieties.In song titles: Nae Ghaist, Nae Waiting, Nae Neck for a KingDictionary entry ↗
dinnae
do not; don'tDinna is another common spelling. This is a negative verb form, not a word to insert into every English sentence.In song titles: Dinnae FearDictionary entry ↗
ain
ownOften follows a possessive: ma ain means my own. It is not the numeral ane.Dictionary entry ↗
ma
myA possessive form; my and mi also occur. Ma ain adds the emphasis my own.Dictionary entry ↗
yer
yourYer is a possessive. It does not by itself tell you the number or formality of the English addressee.Dictionary entry ↗
ye
youA pronoun. Plural forms also vary, so translate the surrounding sentence rather than assuming every ye is singular.Dictionary entry ↗
oor
ourIn this lesson, oor is the possessive our. A separate dictionary entry with the same spelling means hour; context decides.Dictionary entry ↗
twa
twoUsed for the numeral two. It occurs in the line about two letters in Nae Neck for a King.Dictionary entry ↗
ane
oneA numeral; some Scots contexts also use ane as an article. Do not confuse it with ain, meaning own.In song titles: The Strang AneDictionary entry ↗
ower
overO’er and owre also occur. The phrase, not a mechanical word match, determines the English preposition.Dictionary entry ↗
fae
fromFrae is another form. The dictionary also records a separate fae meaning foe, so the rest of the sentence is important.Dictionary entry ↗
whaur
whereWhar and Northern far are among the recorded forms. Do not label a regional alternative as a mistake.Dictionary entry ↗

3 short lessons

Read them here; in the tool above (Learn and Practise) you can try the examples and test yourself with a short quiz.

01

Start with the song titles

A few words open a whole landscape.

Scots is a Germanic language with a range of regional varieties. It is distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language. These introductory examples use familiar forms found in Alisa’s lyrics; they do not stand for every speaker or every place. Read a title for its meaning before trying to imitate a pronunciation.

  • Black WatterBlack WaterWatter means water here.
  • Cauld StaneCold StoneCauld describes stane.
  • The Ither KingThe Other KingIther points to a different king.
Source ↗

02

Small words that change a line

Possession, numbers and negation.

Ma, yer and oor can tell you whose story it is. Ain adds the sense own; ane can mean one. Nae before a noun often means no or not any. Dinna or dinnae is a negative form meaning do not. Keep the sentence structure in view: replacing English words one by one will not reliably produce idiomatic Scots.

  • ma ain hamemy own homeMa and ain work together.
  • I dinnae ken.I don’t know.The negative verb and ken form a phrase.
  • twa letterstwo lettersTwa is the numeral two.
Source ↗

03

Listen for context, not just an accent

False friends and regional voices.

Aye can answer yes, but it can also mean always or still. In The Tide Aye Brings It Hame, always makes sense in the line. Greet can mean cry, unlike English greet. Spelling and pronunciation also vary: whaur, whar and Northern far are recorded forms for where. Use dictionary recordings where available; an English text-to-speech voice is not a reliable Scots pronunciation model.

  • ayeyes / alwaysChoose the sense from the sentence.
  • greetcry / weepA false friend for English readers.
  • nichtnightThe ch often has the sound heard in loch; listen to the relevant variety.
Source ↗

Questions about the Scots translator

Is Scots the same as Scottish Gaelic?

No. Scots is a Germanic language, closely related to English. Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language. This translator works only between English and Scots; it does not translate Gaelic.

How does this English to Scots translator work?

Words and phrases from the verified phrasebook are answered directly, with a note and a link to the dictionary entry. Any other text is translated by an AI language model when you press Translate. Both directions work: English to Scots and Scots to English.

How accurate are the translations?

The phrasebook entries were checked against the Dictionaries of the Scots Language (last reviewed 9 November 2026). AI translations are not checked by a person: they can be wrong, mix regional forms or miss a meaning. For anything important, look the words up in the Dictionaries of the Scots Language or ask a fluent speaker.

Which kind of Scots does it use?

Widely recognised forms, many of them found in Alisa Glenrose’s song lyrics. Scots varies by region and has more than one spelling tradition, so speakers from different places may use other words or spellings.

Is the Scots translator free? Are there limits?

Yes, it is free and needs no account. Each request is limited in length (the limit is shown under the text box), and there is a limit per visitor per hour and for the whole site per day. When a limit is reached, the verified phrasebook still works.

What happens to the text I enter?

Nothing is sent while you type. Only when you press Translate is the text sent to this site’s server. Text that is not in the phrasebook is passed to the AI provider (OpenAI) for translation. This site keeps no translation history.

Can I use it to learn Scots?

As a start, yes: the glossary of 36 words, the 3 short lessons and the practice quiz explain common words such as haud, ken and bairn. Each entry links to its dictionary source.

Who made this translator?

It is part of the website of Alisa Glenrose, an AI artist who sings in Scots. Alisa Glenrose is not a real person: music, voice and images are created with AI. The project, including this translator and its glossary, is by Thomas Barth.

Language sources

Definitions are short learner glosses, not complete dictionary entries. Notes, quizzes and practice phrases are written independently. Song titles and very short fragments are from the Alisa Glenrose project. No Scots pronunciation has been synthesised or claimed as authoritative.

Why a singer’s website has a Scots translator

Alisa Glenrose sings in Scots, and this translator helps listeners understand the words in the songs. Alisa Glenrose is an AI artist, not a real person: music, voice and images were created with AI. The project, including this translator and glossary, is by Thomas Barth.

Listen to the musicAbout Alisa Glenrose