How did religious beliefs affect the placement of certain Egyptian hieroglyphs in a word?

Religious beliefs significantly influenced the placement and use of Egyptian hieroglyphs in two primary ways:

• Honorific Transposition: Symbols with positive religious significance—such as those representing gods, the king, or the palace—were regularly placed in front of other signs, even when they were intended to be read after them. For example, in the phrase for "servant of God" (priest), the hieroglyph for "God" is placed before the sign for "servant," despite being read last.1
• Avoidance of Taboo Symbols: In grave inscriptions, certain signs were intentionally omitted or distorted to protect the deceased. Because of the fear that the living beings represented by these symbols could harm the helpless deceased, signs depicting human figures or dangerous animals, such as snakes and scorpions, were often avoided or rendered in a garbled form.1

Additionally, while the orientation of signs generally indicated the direction of reading, reversals of individual signs were sometimes incorporated for specific religious or decorative purposes to maintain axial balance in temple and tomb decorations.2