Why English spelling is so weird

Why does English have so many weird spelling rules? If you're learning English as a foreign language, you're probably confused by words like knight and thorough. It makes no sense!

The truth is, even native speakers are confused by our strange spelling conventions. So what's the deal with English's inconsistent spelling rules?

The culprit is language evolution — how the language has developed over time.

Linguists divide English into three distinct eras.

1. Old English 

2. Middle English

3. Modern English

Let's explore each of these eras and learn how they helped shape modern-day English.

The alphabet change

During the 5th century in England, Old English was written with a totally different alphabet called runes. This writing system evolved alongside Old English, so the symbols and the sounds they represented naturally fit together.

But that all changed in the 7th century, when missionaries introduced the Roman alphabet to England. This new writing system came from the Latin language, which sounded very different from Old English. 

In this period, Old English sounds were crammed into the Roman writing system. As a result, the way Old English sounded and the way it was written started to diverge. 

These early differences between pronunciation and writing set the stage for complicated spelling rules in Modern English (which can be super confusing for students trying to master English pronunciation).

The Norman French invasion

Old English began to transform into Middle English when the Normans invaded England in the 11th century. 

The Normans spoke a dialect of French, which England's wealthy elites adopted after the takeover. Lower classes in England still spoke an early version of English, so the two languages began to mix. 

During this time, English speakers borrowed thousands of words from the French language through a process called lexical borrowing. For example, the words action, jury, novice, and religion all come from French!

French also impacted English spelling. Following the Norman takeover, Norman scribes adapted English spelling to match French spelling and pronunciation conventions. For example, the qu in queen replaced an earlier version spelled cwen.

French's influence on English didn't stop in the 11th century. For example, the words bureau and entrepreneur joined English between the 15th and 18th centuries.

Other languages also influenced English throughout the centuries. For example, the word grow has roots in Proto-Germanic language. This helps explain why bureau and grow end with the same sound (a long o) despite being spelled differently — the words have totally different origins.

The printing revolution

Modern English began emerging in the 15th century — around the same time the printing press was invented. 

Until this point, English spelling was very inconsistent. People spelled words differently depending on their experience and education. When the printing press came along, writers could suddenly copy and print their words precisely — so spelling became standardized and consistent. 

Printing was good news for consistency, but it also cemented strange spelling conventions like silent letters. 

For example, older versions of English pronounced the k in knight. The k eventually became silent in speech, but the printing press helped preserve it in writing.

The Great Vowel Shift

One of the last major evolutions contributing to Modern English was the Great Vowel Shift. 

Between the 15th and 18th centuries, the pronunciation of long vowel sounds began to change. For example, speakers of Middle English would pronounce sheep similar to the modern pronunciation of shape — with an ay sound rather than an ee sound. But after the shift, sheep began using a modern long ee sound, as in beet.

The shift impacted many other parts of English pronunciation, but these changes were complex and inconsistent. Pronunciation and spelling became more disconnected during this period. Some people even suggested new spelling systems to match the evolving pronunciation rules, but they were never widely adopted.

The printing press is at least partially to blame for the disconnect between pronunciation and spelling in Modern English. As the Great Vowel Shift progressed, English spelling became increasingly standardized thanks to print media. People were used to spelling Modern English words a certain way — even if that spelling didn't match the pronunciation.

Modern English spelling — confusing but not impossible!

That brings us to the world of Modern English, where words like knight have a silent k and vowels can make around 20 unique sounds!

Modern English spelling is the result of centuries of evolution. It can be confusing and weird, but you can master it with enough practice. If you're trying to improve your spelling and reading skills, check out these guides to starting learning today!