heterography

[ het-uh-rog-ruh-fee ]

noun
  1. spelling different from that in current use.

  2. the use of the same letter or combination of letters to represent different sounds, as, in English, the use of s in sit and easy.

Origin of heterography

1
First recorded in 1775–85; hetero- + -graphy

Other words from heterography

  • het·er·o·graph·ic [het-er-uh-graf-ik], /ˌhɛt ər əˈgræf ɪk/, het·er·o·graph·i·cal, adjective

Words Nearby heterography

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use heterography in a sentence

  • I corrected his heterography; and we confounded the tricks of the evil ones.

    Cripps, the Carrier | R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore

British Dictionary definitions for heterography

heterography

/ (ˌhɛtəˈrɒɡrəfɪ) /


noun
  1. the phenomenon of different letters or sequences of letters representing the same sound in different words, as for example -ight and -ite in blight and bite

  2. any writing system in which this phenomenon occurs

Derived forms of heterography

  • heterographic (ˌhɛtərəʊˈɡræfɪk) or heterographical, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012