sign had more than one value, a phonogram would be
added to indicate which of its values was intended: thus [HRG: sw] in
[HRG: sw-w] is _sw_, "he," but in [HRG: sw:t] it is _stn_, "king."
Further, owing to the vast number of signs employed, to prevent
confusion of one with another in rapid writing they were generally
provided with "phonetic complements," a group being less easily
misread than a single letter. E.g. [HRG: wD], _wz_, "command," is
regularly written [HRG: wD-w], _wz_ (_w_); but [HRG: HD], _hz_,
"white," is written [HRG: HD-D], _hz_(_z_). This practice had the
advantage also of distinguishing determinatives from phonograms. Thus
the root or syllable _hn_ is regularly written [HRG: H-Hn:n] to avoid
confusion with the determinative [HRG: Hn]. Redundance in writing is
the rule; for instance, _b_ is often spelled [HRG: b-G26A-A]
(_b_)_b_'('). Biliteral phonograms are very rare as phonetic
complements, nor are two biliteral phonograms employed together in
writing the radicals of a word.

Spelling of words purely in phonetic or even alphabetic characters is
not uncommon, the determinative being generally added. Thus in the
pyramidal texts we find _hpr_, "become," written [HRG: xpr] in one
copy of a text, in another [HRG: x*p:r]. Such variant spellings are
very important for fixing the readings of word-signs. It is noteworthy
that though words were so freely spelled in alphabetic characters,
especially in the time of the Old Kingdom, no advance was ever made
towards excluding the cumbersome word-signs and biliteral phonograms,
which, by a judicious use of determinatives, might well have been
rendered quite superfluous.

_Abbreviations._--We find [HRG: anx-DA-s], strictly _'nh z_' _s_
standing for the ceremonial _viva! 'nh wz, snb_. "Life, Prosperity
and Health," and in course of time [HRG: mDAt] was used in accounts
instead of [HRG: dmD] _dmz_, "total."

_Monograms_ are frequent and are found from the earliest times. Thus
[HRG: Sm], [HRG: zb] mentioned above are monograms, the association of
[HRG: S] and [HRG: D54] having no pictorial meaning. Another common
monogram is [HRG: O10], i.e. [HRG: Hwt] and [HRG: G5] for _H.t-Hrw_
"Hathor." A word-sign may be compounded with its phonetic complement,
as [HRG: T5] _hz_ "white," or with its determinative, as [HRG: S14]
_hz_ "silver."

The table on the opposite page shows the uses of a few of the