SoundSpel

Spellings here are matched to their sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). SoundSpel examples are accompanied by traditional spellings in italics if different. Note that writings in SoundSpel may not follow these tables exactly due to their time of writing or the author's personal preferences. These tables also do not account for proper nouns (which are discussed under "Exceptions").

SoundSpel has changed slightly over time. Listed below are generally the most recent guidelines. Obsolete or optional rules are also listed. Furthermore, the system is not a fait accompli. The Dictionary of Simplified American Spelling reads: "[F]urther fine tuning [of SoundSpel] is [now] appropriate. Recommendations are welcome from all—phoneticians, linguists, educators, publishers, those with a special interest in the subject, and, very importantly, the public at large."[24]

False diphthongs

If a pair of vowel letters do not match a SoundSpel digraph—such as ea—then the syllable ends with the first vowel (as in react, read as 're-act'), jeenius ('genius'), and creaetiv ('creative'). With three or more vowel letters, the syllable ends with the first digraph. For example: flooid ('fluid', read as "floo-id"), hieest ('highest'), and inueendo ('innuendo').[8]

Hyphens and syllable breaks

Hyphens separate adjacent letters that can be mistaken for digraphs. Examples include ⟨nk⟩ in ''man-kiend ('mankind'), ⟨th⟩ in pent-hous ('penthouse'), and ⟨wh⟩ in cow-hand ('cowhand'). Where ⟨n-g⟩ would be visually awkward, ⟨nn⟩ marks the end of the syllable, as in enngaej ('engage') and enngraev ('engrave'). Hyphens also indicate when ⟨y⟩ is a consonant beginning a syllable (such as in barn-yard) rather than a vowel ending a syllable (as in handyman or apreeshyaet, 'appreciate'), as the latter is much more common. Where ⟨-y⟩ would be visually awkward, a double consonant marks the end of the syllable (as in millyon for 'million' and compannyon for 'companion'). Beyond these examples and those double consonants following /ɔː/ (like in fall and cross), all double consonants surround a syllable break. Examples include meelles ('mealless'), buukkeeper ('bookkeeper'), and cattael ('cattail').[22] Additionally, double consonants often represent geminates.

Following a prefix, a hyphen indicates that a vowel is long (co-ed, re-arm, bi-lateral). Any adjacent preceding vowel is also long (bio-, neo-). Compare jeo-sentrik ('geocentric') and jeolojy ('geology').

Schwa and schwi

The spelling of /ə/ (schwa) in unstressed syllables remains unchanged (as in organ, novel, and lemon) unless traditional spelling would suggest a mispronunciation (hence 'mountain' is spelled mounten).[8]

To represent schwi (variably described as /ɪ/ or /i/), there are three rules. First, ⟨e⟩ is used in a word's first syllable (event; eqip for 'equip'). Second, ⟨i⟩ is followed by a schwa in the combinations ⟨ia⟩, ⟨io⟩, and ⟨iu⟩ (insomnia; joevial for 'jovial'). Third, ⟨y⟩ is used terminally, or medially when not followed by schwa ⟨a⟩, ⟨o⟩, or ⟨u⟩ (raedyo for 'radio', joevyality for 'joviality'). Using ⟨y⟩ terminally in monosyllabic words such as bee and see (instead of ⟨ee⟩) and their derivatives is discouraged.[12] The letter ⟨y⟩ is also used to prevent ambiguity, such as in terryer ('terrier') and audyens ('audience'), in which ⟨ie⟩ would otherwise represent /aɪ/.[25]

Unstressed ⟨er⟩, ⟨ar⟩, and ⟨or⟩ ("schwer")

SoundSpel retains the spellings of schwers (a portmanteau of schwa and ⟨er⟩). In other words, though /ɑːr/ (⟨ar⟩) and /ɔːr/ (⟨or⟩) may reduce to /ər/ (⟨er⟩) in rapid speech, they keep their original spelling. This is for two reasons. First, the reform's "immediate goal... is to reflect a word's full pronunciation", and second, these words' derivatives often contain the syllable's stressed equivalent (as in victor and victorious), so keeping the old spelling is useful for maintaining aesthetic relationships.[26]

Capitalization and proper nouns

The word I, like in traditional spelling, remains capitalized. The word U, a respelling of you, is also capitalized. As Edward Rondthaler wrote: "Since we accept the flattery of capital I for 'me', let us extend the courtesy of capital U for 'you'."[1][25] In SoundSpel's 1978 form, however, neither I nor U were capitalized.[10]

SoundSpel retains the spellings of proper nouns to the extent that these are the names of living people, functional institutions, government agencies, brand names, and so on. If both the visual recognition of a name and its correct pronunciation are important, the latter will be given in SoundSpel but in square brackets [ ]. Foreign words that are too awkward to be converted to SoundSpel are represented in italics. Otherwise, most well known proper nouns may be written in SoundSpel. Naturally, SoundSpel dictionaries may use SoundSpel to indicate an irregular proper noun's pronunciation,[28] and months and days of the week may also be respelled.[1]

Pluralization

Neither the plural suffix ⟨-s⟩ (as in jobs), the possessive suffix ⟨-'s⟩ (as in man's), nor the third-person present singular verb suffix ⟨-s⟩ (as in he runs) are changed, even though in all these cases the ⟨s⟩ may be pronounced /z/ at times.[8] A doubled ⟨ss⟩ is used to distinguish words when necessary, as in caes ('cays', /keɪz/) versus caess ('case', /keɪs/). This exception is a break from the Dictionary of Simplified American Spelling, in which plurals were spelled on a strictly phonetic basis (caez and caes respectively).[29] The letter ⟨x⟩ does not form the plurals of words ending with a /k/ sound; for example, the plural of dok ('dock') is not dox, but doks. This follows (formal) traditional spelling.

It was on th ferst dae of th nue yeer th anounsment was maed, allmoest siemultaeniusly frum three obzervatorys, that th moeshun of th planet Neptune, th outermoest of all planets that wheel about th Sun, had becum verry erratic. A retardaeshun in its velosity had bin suspected in Desember. Then, a faent, remoet spek of liet was discuverd in th reejon of th perterbd planet. At ferst, this did not cauz eny verry graet exsietment. Sieentific peepl, however, found th intelijens remarkabl enuf, eeven befor it becaem noen that th nue body was rapidly groeing larjer and brieter, and that its moeshun was qiet different frum th orderly progres of th planets. [657 characters]

(It was on the first day of the new year the announcement was made, almost simultaneously from three observatories, that the motion of the planet Neptune, the outermost of all planets that wheel around the sun, had become very erratic. A retardation in its velocity had been suspected in December. Then a faint, remote speck of light was discovered in the region of the perturbed planet. At first this did not cause any very great excitement. Scientific people, however, found the intelligence remarkable enough, even before it became known that the new body was rapidly growing larger and brighter, and that its motion was quiet different from the orderly progress of the planets.) [680 characters]

We mae nowadaes be chairy about uezing th werd 'jeenius', but we stil hav a guud iedeea wut is ment bi it. For exampl, thair ar graet numbers of verry gifted muezishans hoo ar admierd but not calld jeeniuses. But thair ar uthers, manifestly prodijus, performing offen at extraordinerrily erly aejes, a varieety of feets so complex that th muezical laeman cuud hardly imajin, eeven with th moest desperet laebor, acomplishing eny of them, wiel eeven muezishans ar astonisht and we then reech for th guud, handy, vaeg Enlietenment werd and call them jeeniuses. Th list incloods Mozart and Mendelssohn; and, despiet all th limiting jujments, it incloods Benjamin Britten. [668 characters]

(We may nowadays be chary about using the word ‘genius’, but we still have a good idea what is meant by it. For example, there are great numbers of very gifted musicians who are admired but not called geniuses. But there are others manifestly prodigious, performing, often at extraordinarily early ages, a variety of feats so complex that the musical layman could hardly imagine, even with the most desperate labour, accomplishing any one of them, while even musicians are astonished: and we then reach for the good, handy, vague Enlightenment word and call them geniuses. The list includes Mozart and Mendelssohn; and, despite all the limiting judgments, it includes Benjamin Britten.)[31] [684 characters]