Pricing

Constructed languages (conlangs) are ever increasing in popularity as authors, game designers, and filmmakers continue to recognize the value original languages provide to making a fictional world come to life. Below are some ideas of how we price various conlanging requests that are posted to our members’ jobs page. Our prices listed below (in USD) reflect the minimum acceptable rate (for micro projects, such as an unfunded self-published book not for commercial use); an average, competitive rate (for small projects, such as an indie game or a book with minor publisher); and the industry standard rate (for film, TV, and any project with a total budget over $100,000).

January 2026 update: please see our LCS Service Tiers v3 document for additional details and guidance as to what to expect at each tier level, and what factors may increase or decrease the price.

Naming Language

What you get:

  • Phonology (the sounds of the language)
  • No grammar
  • 24 created names

Pricing:

  • $150 minimum
  • $300 average
  • $600 industry standard

Conlang Sketch

What you get:

  • Phonology (the sounds of the language)
  • A simplistic grammar that describes the order of words in a sentence (such as subject–verb–object word order)
  • A dictionary of 50 words

Pricing:

  • $300 minimum
  • $600 average
  • $1000 industry standard

Basic Conlang

What you get:

  • Phonology (the sounds of the language)
  • A basic grammar sufficient to translate simple sentences
  • A dictionary of 150 words
  • 5 to 10 sample translations (one sentence each)

Pricing:

  • $500 minimum
  • $2000 average
  • $5000 industry standard

Advanced Grammar

What you get:

  • Phonology (the sounds of the language)
  • A full grammar that includes descriptions of how to create questions, complex sentences with multiple clauses, and advanced language features
  • A dictionary of 500 words
  • 20 to 30 sample translations (one sentence each)

Pricing:

  • $950 minimum
  • $4500 average
  • $10000 industry standard

If none of these examples describe the kind of work you need, please feel free to contact us and we will work with you to determine a fair price for the work you want.

(Please note, the amounts quoted for the industry standard are minimum standard professional pricing for film (TV and movie) industries. Rates for more extensive work can be negotiated, including the need for larger dictionaries or additional translations.)

Other Services

In addition to creating new languages, many conlangers also excel in creating original writing systems (orthographies). The payment amount required for an original writing system will depend on the complexity desired. For example, an original alphabet with 26 glyphs is less time consuming to create than a syllabary containing 200 or more glyphs and ligatures. The prices below reflect a quote for a basic alphabet containing 25 to 30 glyphs.

Vector Drawings (25 to 30 glyphs)

What you get:

  • Digital vector drawings of each individual glyph
  • 1 sentence rendered in the original writing system

Pricing:

  • $450 minimum
  • $600 average
  • $750 industry standard

 

Digital Font (25 to 30 glyphs)

What you get:

  • An OTF or TTF file containing the digital font package of your original writing system
  • Glyph combination kerning for optimized spacing
  • 1 sentence rendered in the original writing system, plus instructions for installing and using the font on your own computer

Pricing:

  • $900 minimum
  • $1500 average
  • $2500 industry standard

 

Caveats

For individuals with a tight budget or in poorer countries, lower rates may be available. If you are not able to offer a competitive, average compensation for a conlang, some creators may be willing to negotiate other possibilities, such as percentages of future royalties, or rights to publishing a dictionary/grammar with links to your original work.

The Language Creation Society maintains that, as a system, a language is not copyrightable—only the original material that the language is used in may be copyrighted. However, most conlangers are willing to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), prohibiting from releasing details of their work until a set date. If you wish an NDA to be part of the work, you should expect to pay an additional fee depending on the length of time that the NDA covers.