Hebrew spelling (Hebrew: כתיב עברי /ktiv ʕivˈri/, "Hebrew spelling") refers to way words are spelled in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew alphabet contains 22 letters, all of which are primarily consonants. This is because the Hebrew script is an abjad, that is, its letters indicate consonant, not vowels, nor syllables. An early system to overcome this, still used today, is matres lectionis, where four of these letters, Alef, He, Vav and Yud also serve as vowel letters. Later, a system of vowel points to indicate vowels (diacritics), called niqqud, was developed.
Read more about Hebrew Spelling: History, Usage Today, Usage of Multiple Systems
Famous quotes containing the words hebrew and/or spelling:
“The Lord is thy keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; he shall preserve thy
soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
—Bible: Hebrew Psalm CXXI (l. CXXI, 5–8)
“Some let me make you of the heartless words.
The heart is drained that, spelling in the scurry
Of chemic blood, warned of the coming fury.
By the sea’s side hear the dark-vowelled birds.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)