Spellings

Spellings are the conventional representations of words using letters in a given language. Spelling is one element of orthography, alongside rules of capitalization, punctuation, diacritics, and hyphenation. Spelling typically reflects a language's history as much as its sounds; many spellings preserve older forms or borrowings even when pronunciation has changed.

Spelling systems vary across languages and dialects. In English, spelling differences exist among varieties such as British, American, and Australian English, and among loanwords from other languages. Examples include color versus colour, center versus centre, and theater versus theatre. Such differences arise from historical pronunciations, as well as deliberate standardizations that treat etymology as a guide for spelling.

Historically, English spelling became increasingly standardized only in the modern era. Before printing and dictionaries, spelling was fluid and variable. The emergence of comprehensive dictionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries, along with the spread of printed texts, helped stabilize conventions, though many irregularities remain a feature of the language.

Many languages have undergone spelling reforms intended to simplify rules or better reflect current pronunciation or usage. Reforms range from modest adjustments to complete script changes; examples include Turkish, German, and Norwegian reforms. In English, reforms have been proposed but have had limited adoption, leaving many irregular spellings intact.

Today, spellings interact with technology and global communication. Spell-checkers, autocorrect, and word processors aid writers but can also obscure traditional conventions. In education, instruction focuses on both phonemic awareness and conventional spelling, recognizing that pronunciation and spelling can diverge across dialects and over time.