In J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology, what language are the One Ring’s inscription words written in?

The words inscribed on J.R.R. Tolkien’s One Ring are written in the Black Speech of Mordor. The inscription begins, “Ash nazg durbatulûk,” meaning “One Ring to rule them all” in the language created for Sauron’s servants.

Tolkien designed the Black Speech as a language associated with Mordor and Sauron. The Ring’s inscription is written using Tengwar characters, but the script and the language are different things: Tengwar is the writing system, while Black Speech is the language represented by the words.

Readers sometimes identify the inscription as Elvish because it uses the elegant Tengwar script. That is a common mix-up. Tolkien’s fictional languages include several Elvish tongues, notably Quenya and Sindarin, whereas the Ring verse is specifically in Black Speech. The inscription also links the Ring directly to Sauron’s power and the purpose for which he forged it.