noun
orthography
or-THAH-gruh-fee/ɔːrˈθɑːɡrəfi/
The standard system and practice of spelling in a language.
The spelling guide illustrates English orthography by correcting “recieve” to “receive.”
Etymology
The pieces mean “correct writing,” with correctness here concerning spelling rather than literary style. The word names the conventions that determine how a language's words are written.
In context
books are always well spelled according to the orthography of the times some words are indeed doubtful being spelled differently by different authors
More examples
- The two languages have similar sounds but different orthographies.
- Students study English orthography to understand common spelling patterns.
- The committee proposes a simpler orthography for the language.
Forms
orthography · orthographies
orthographic adjective — Relating to a language's spelling system.
Similar words
- spelling
- Often concerns individual words rather than a language's whole system.