Distinctiveness (DSTNCT) Words with different meanings should have different spellings, if possible. Phonographic Matching (PhM) The spelling must match the known phonological form and changes may be made, where necessary, if possible, by amending the spelling-to-sound correspondences 3. Hence related words have related spellings.
Identity Preservation (IdP) A spelling takes its form from the spellings of its subcomponents.
I argue that there are five basic principles of English spelling and that different kinds of words may be spelt in different ways, subject to different applications of these principles, which state: 1. This study provides a method for studying a wide range of English spellings.
