Orthography

Definition

Orthography is the set of rules governing how a language is written — its spelling conventions, including which letter sequences are permitted and how sounds map to letters.

Why it matters

English orthography is irregular, and that irregularity is the source of much puzzle difficulty; knowing its patterns helps you reject impossible spellings.

Examples

• The silent E in MAKE.
• I before E patterns and their exceptions.

Best practices

• Learn common spelling patterns and their exceptions.
• Use orthographic rules to prune implausible candidates.

Frequently asked