In September of last year, consensus was reached on the proposal for the Common Turkic Alphabet consisting of 34 letters established by the Turkic States Organization’s (TDT) Turkic World Joint Alphabet Commission. Speaking at the summit in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, President Erdogan highlighted that common consensus had been reached on the alphabet, deeming this decision a historic step in his speech. So, what is the Common Turkic Alphabet, and when will it be used? How many letters are in the Common Turkic Alphabet? Here are the 5 new letters that will be added if accepted in Turkey… The Common Turkic Alphabet project was agreed upon at the Joint Alphabet Commission meeting held in Baku in September by the Turkic Academy and the Turkish Language Association. Speaking at the 11th Summit of the Council of State Presidents of the Turkic States Organization (TDT) in Bishkek, President Erdogan made statements about the Common Turkic Alphabet project. Erdogan said, “The common alphabet is also a sign of our common future and taking steps into the future. In this respect, the joint alphabet work with the coordination of the Ak Sakals was completed in September 2024 with the aim of developing a common language. A consensus on a 34-letter alphabet was reached. Members need to complete the necessary transformation with this alphabet.” The work, initiated in 1991, aimed for the Turkic countries to use a common alphabet and recommended the addition of 5 new characters to the existing 29-letter Turkic alphabet. With the recent approval of the Common Turkic Alphabet in Baku, it is planned to add the letters Q, X, W, N, Ä in addition to the current alphabet. The implementation and support of the historic decision of the Common Turkic Alphabet, which promotes mutual understanding and cooperation among Turkic peoples and preserves the language heritage, are urged for relevant institutions while the alphabet is expected to be used starting in 2026. Countries that will use the common alphabet include Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tatarstan, TRNC, and Uzbekistan.