Spelling Reforms
Because of the unpredictability of the combination, many English spelling reformers have proposed replacing it with more phonetic combinations, some of which have caught-on in varying degrees of formal and informal success. Generally, spelling reforms have been more widely accepted in the United States and less so in the Commonwealth.
In April 1984, at its yearly meeting, the Simplified Spelling Society adopted the following reform as its house style:
- Shorten 'ough' to 'u' when it is sounded as /uː/ – through→thru.
- Shorten 'ough' to ‘o’ when it is sounded as /oʊ/ – though→tho (but doh for dough).
- Shorten ‘ough’ to ‘ou’ when it is sounded as /aʊ/ – bough→bou, plough→plou, drought→drout.
- Change 'ough' to ‘au’ when it is sounded as /ɔː/ – ought→aut, bought→baut, thought→thaut.
- Change 'ough' to 'of' or 'uf' (depending on pronunciation) when there is the sound /f/ – cough→cof, enough→enuf, tough→tuf.
Read more about this topic: Ough (orthography)
Famous quotes containing the words spelling and/or reforms:
“My spelling is Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.”
—A.A. (Alan Alexander)
“One of the reforms to be carried out during the incoming administration is a change in our monetary and banking laws, so as to secure greater elasticity in the forms of currency available for trade and to prevent the limitations of law from operating to increase the embarrassment of a financial panic.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)