Cuneiform Sign Lul

It has several readings; the surrounding words decide.

In Sumerian, 𒈜 can write lul, meaning “false,” “lying,” or “treacherous”; it can also stand for ka₅ (“fox”) or nar (“singer”). A lone sign cannot tell you which word was intended.

The earliest surviving texts that use it are Early Dynastic IIIa/IIIb; later examples include Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian and other Mesopotamian periods. Cuneiform was used for centuries: scribes used signs to write words and syllables, and later adapted the script to languages including Akkadian.

Why can one sign mean “lie” and “fox”?

The two readings create wordplay in some proverbs.

In Old Babylonian proverb collections, the LUL spelling can link “fox” and “lie.” Scholars connect the overlap to the sign’s fox-head graphic, making it a possible visual pun. With a short or damaged line, the intended word may remain unclear.

Later scribes kept using the sign while adapting cuneiform to other languages, including Akkadian. Read the whole spelling and genre before choosing among its values.

Why does 𒈜 look different in different fonts?

Different fonts can draw the same encoded sign differently.

Different fonts may draw the same encoded sign in visibly different styles, based on period, region, or medium. That is a display choice, not evidence of a different character.

For a historically faithful inscription, choose a font suited to the text you are reconstructing.