What ancient language is represented by the hieroglyphic inscriptions of ancient Egypt?

Ancient Egyptian is the language represented by the hieroglyphic inscriptions of ancient Egypt.

It was written in several scripts, including hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic. Hieroglyphs were especially associated with monumental and religious writing, while hieratic and demotic offered faster cursive forms for administrative and everyday documents.

The language changed over a very long recorded history. Conventional stages include Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian, Late Egyptian, Demotic, and Coptic. Middle Egyptian remained influential as a classical written form even after spoken language had evolved.

Coptic is the final major stage of the Egyptian language, written mainly in a Greek-based alphabet with additional signs. It should not be confused with Ancient Egyptian itself, although Coptic preserves its later linguistic descendant and remains important in Egyptian Christian liturgy.