Phonetic spelling refers to spelling conventions that use letters or letter combinations that only correspond to one sound. This makes it much easier to spell words you hear — even if you have only heard them once. Spanish and Finnish are highly phonetic. English has very un-phonetic spelling; all the vowels can correspond to several different sounds! While English has adopted conventions from the languages that have influenced it, this is exactly what makes the spelling difficult! Many words borrow spellings based on etymology and are not adapted for pronunciation in English, e.g. “Colonel” and “debut.”
There have been movements in the past to simplify English spelling, by making it more phonetic. President Teddy Roosevelt even wanted to simplify English spelling! Despite these efforts, little change has been effected.
What do you think? Should English spelling be made more phonetic?
If you haven’t yet, you can check out last week’s poll on spelling education in the technology age!
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