Spelling Pronunciation

A spelling pronunciation more closely renders the sounds represented by a word's spelling than the traditional pronunciation and is often considered incorrect (for example "victuals"). The traditional pronunciation of a common word is often more widespread than its spelling pronunciation. The traditional pronunciations of even rare words are often still in use, especially by educated people. Many spelling pronunciations become more common and therefore eventually standard (for example "waistcoat").

A spelling pronunciation often reflects an even older pronunciation than the traditional one, especially in the case of compound words (for example "waistcoat", "cupboard", and "forehead") and words with silent letters (for example "often"). A silent letter does not always represent an older pronunciation and may have only been added to show the word's etymology, in other words its form in a different language (for example "victuals"). Silent letters were sometimes also added on the basis of erroneous etymologies, as in the case of the word "island".