Making mistakes in Cyrillic is no big deal. Everyone does. But wrong Cyrillic, that’s the biggest mistake you can make. And the worst thing you can do with that noble Cyrillic can do.

Typing Russian letters and characters isn’t easy at first, but it’s definitely worth the effort. It opens up a whole new world—or at least a lot of the internet. It’s also necessary if you want to do anything in Russian. Your first goal is going to be to get Russian on your computer (College Russian, 2018, 7 m, with more tips to find your way online).

Cyril and Methodius, brothers and Christian monks, are at the foundation of the Russian script. It is called Cyrillic because Cyril invented it, in the primitive form of the Glagolitic alphabet, which was revised and simplified after his death. Cyril and Methodius came from Thessalonica (Greece) and were missionaries: the script was meant to translate the Bible and spread the faith.