The literacy rate among hobs has historically been low. Their hierarchy encourages reliance on elders for interpretation of written text, their written language involves a wide array of complex glyphs, and their thinking is highly traditional. However, some families have made a complete reversal on this subject in recent times. Notably, most hobs in Shiekli and scattered families in the northern Egelands and Anossan provinces are gaining widespread literacy with incredible speed.

This is due to a shifting of values. Many families now place high honor on literacy in the modern age, deeming it a time for scholars and clerks. Now that individuals reading and writing is considered of value to the families, countless hobs are learning the tricky array of Brownish glyphs or some written form of Imperial Common.

Hobs have historically spoken Brownish as a lingua franca, allowing them to freely communicate with the wandering brownie caravans. Imperial Common is now widespread, but the traditionalist values of hob culture mean that it is mostly a second language. Hobs are almost universally raised speaking Brownish and learn Imperial Common as a way to communicate with outsiders. Certainly, the various inscriptions and texts considered sacred to hobs are never internally translated out of Brownish.