Middle English Translator
Middle English is the language of Chaucer — spoken in England from roughly 1100 to 1500, halfway between the Anglo-Saxons and Shakespeare. Its most famous lines open The Canterbury Tales: “Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote” — “When April with its sweet showers.” Strange spelling, but you can almost hear our own language underneath.
This free Middle English translator works both ways. Type modern English and receive a Chaucer-style rendering built from genuine Middle English vocabulary — or paste Middle English text (even Chaucer himself) and decode it into modern English. Common phrases are hand-built in correct forms; single words render in their Chaucerian spellings. One honest note: in Chaucer’s day spelling was never standardized — the same word appears in many forms — so this tool uses the most recognized Chaucerian spellings as a readable standard. No signup, no limits, free forever.
Understand the Translation
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Free · No signup · Chaucer-style Middle English (c. 1100–1500) — a reading aid, not a scholarly translation.
What Is Middle English, Really?
Middle English was born in 1066. When the Normans conquered England, French flooded into the language of the Anglo-Saxons, and over three centuries Old English transformed into something new — simpler grammar, thousands of French loanwords, and wildly variable spelling. By the late 1300s, Geoffrey Chaucer — a courtier, diplomat, and poet — was writing The Canterbury Tales in the East Midlands dialect of London, the variety that would eventually become standard English.
Chaucer is often called the father of English literature, and reading him is the classic school encounter with Middle English. His world sits between two others on this site: the Old English translator handles the Germanic tongue of Beowulf (c. 450–1100), while our Shakespearean translator handles Early Modern English (c. 1500–1700). Middle English is the bridge — close enough to puzzle out with effort, distant enough to feel like time travel.
How This Translator Works — and Its Honest Limits
Every word in this tool’s dictionary is genuine Middle English vocabulary in Chaucerian spelling: knyght (knight), herte (heart), nyght (night), trouthe (truth). Frequent phrases are hand-assembled in correct forms — wassayl (“hello,” also a toast), I thonke thee (“I thank you”), how farest thou (“how are you”).
Here is what the tool does not pretend to do. Middle English had no spelling standard: Chaucer himself spells the same word several ways, and scribes across England wrote in different dialects. This translator uses the best-known Chaucerian forms as a consistent standard rather than reproducing every variant. Grammar is simplified too — nouns keep dictionary forms, and the famous final -e (pronounced as its own syllable: sweete is “sweh-tuh”) is applied by spelling, not by strict rule. Think of the output as Chaucer-style: real vocabulary, readable spellings, and the unmistakable music of the language — not a critical edition.
Reading Chaucer: A Mini Guide
Three tricks unlock most of Chaucer. First, pronounce the final -e: sweete, yonge, herte all gain a syllable — the verse depends on it. Second, y often stands where we write i: nyght, lyght, myn. Third, learn a dozen high-frequency words and the fog lifts: whan (when), eek (also), swich (such), nat (not), moche (much), anon (at once), ywis (certainly), gramercy (thank you).
Try it below: paste “Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote / The droghte of March hath perced to the roote” into the Middle English → English direction and watch the most famous lines in the language resolve into modern words. Then flip direction and write your own first line of a Canterbury tale.
Try These Examples
- Hello, my friend! → Wassayl, my frend!
- I love you with all my heart. → I love thee with al my herte.
- Where are you going? → Whider goost thou?
- Thank you very much. → I thonke thee ful moche.
- Good morning, fair lady. → Good morwe, fayr lady.
- Once upon a time… → In olde dayes…
Type any of these into the translator above — or tap “Try an Example” and explore.
Old English vs. Middle English vs. Shakespearean English
Three stages, one language:
- Old English (c. 450–1100): Hwæt! Wē Gār-DEna in gēardagum… — Beowulf. Nearly unrecognizable.
- Middle English (c. 1100–1500): Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote… — Chaucer. Odd spelling, but readable with effort. You are here.
- Early Modern English (c. 1500–1700): Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? — Shakespeare. Ours, with thee’s and thou’s.
Our Shakespearean translator and Old English translator cover the other two. (A Medieval English translator — the language of knights and chronicles, overlapping these centuries — is coming soon.)
Middle English Translator FAQs
Is Middle English the same as Old English?
No. Old English (c. 450–1100) is the Germanic language of Beowulf, full of inflections and the letters þ, ð, æ. Middle English (c. 1100–1500) is what Old English became after the Norman Conquest flooded it with French — simpler grammar, French vocabulary, and spellings like knyght and nyght. Chaucer wrote in Middle English, five centuries after Beowulf.
Can you really translate modern English into Chaucer’s English?
Genuinely, with stated limits. The vocabulary is real Chaucerian Middle English and common phrases are grammatically correct. What is simplified: spelling (Chaucer’s age had no standard — we use the most recognized forms consistently) and some grammar. Treat it as a faithful Chaucer-style rendering and learning aid, not a scholarly edition.
Is the Middle English translator free?
Yes — completely free, no signup, no character limits, in both directions.
Why does Middle English look half-modern?
Because it is. After 1066, English shed most of its Old English inflections and absorbed around ten thousand French words. The result sits visibly between Beowulf and Shakespeare — familiar words in unfamiliar dress.
What is the difference between “Middle English” and “medieval English”?
“Middle English” names the language (c. 1100–1500); “medieval” names the historical period. People often say “medieval English” meaning the same thing. We keep them distinct on this site: this page covers the language stage, and a dedicated Medieval translator (chronicles, knights, courtly speech) is on the way.
Where can I read real Middle English?
Start with Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales — the General Prologue is the classic first taste, and public-domain editions with facing-page translations are easy to find. This translator is a good companion for sounding out short passages: paste in a few lines and decode them word by word.
