The Egyptian hieroglyphic script contained 24 uniliterals (symbols that stood for single consonants, much like letters in English). It would have been possible to write all Egyptian words in the manner of these signs, but the Egyptians never did so and never simplified their complex writing into a true alphabet.

Are hieroglyphics words or letters?

What Do Egyptian Hieroglyphs Look Like? Hieroglyphs are pictures of animals or objects that are used to represent sounds or meanings. They are similar to letters, but a single hieroglyph may signify a syllable or concept.

How are the hieroglyphics read?

Hieroglyphs are written in rows or columns and can be read from left to right or from right to left. You can distinguish the direction in which the text is to be read because the human or animal figures always face towards the beginning of the line. Also the upper symbols are read before the lower.