orthography

American  

[awr-thog-ruh-fee] / ɔrˈθɒg rə fi /

noun

• orthographies
  plural

1. the art of writing words with the proper letters, according to accepted usage; correct spelling.

2. the part of language study concerned with letters and spelling.

3. a method of spelling, as by the use of an alphabet or other system of symbols; spelling.

4. a system of such symbols.

   Missionaries provided the first orthography for the language.

5. an orthographic projection, or an elevation drawn by means of it.

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orthography British  

/ ɔːˈθɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. a writing system

2. 1. spelling considered to be correct

   2. the principles underlying spelling

3. the study of spelling

4. orthographic projection

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• orthographer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• orthographies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of orthography

1425–75; late Middle English ortografye < Latin orthographia correct writing, orthogonal projection < Greek orthographía. See ortho-, -graphy

Explanation

If you speak English — and you probably do if you're reading this — an orthography or writing system of "A, B, C, D..." makes sense. The Serbian language uses a different orthography: "A B C Č Ć D Dž Đ..." From Greek orthographia, meaning "correct writing," an orthography is a way to represent words by having set ways to spell and write them. Orthography helps you identify words so you can figure out their meanings. Different languages usually have different systems of orthography, and even subsets of language, like text-messaging lingo, have a sort of orthography.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

orthography orthographies

He asked for all the word’s information — its definition, part of speech, orthography, use in a sentence — but he didn’t need it, evidenced by a slight smile as he spoke.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023

We don’t have an official Bemba dictionary — and the orthography of Zambian languages is also pretty inconsistent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2019

Schmidt violates the rules of orthography and punctuation throughout the book, and its sprawling conversations cover James Joyce, trees, magic, the moon, and Xerxes, among many other things.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 3, 2016

Tomlinson, who died on March 5th, made a lasting contribution to the world’s orthography by choosing the @ symbol for e-mail addresses.

From Economist ● Mar. 10, 2016

The thought of Tansy having a look at my orthography brought me near tears.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Footnote 45: These orthographies are but makeshifts for simple sounds.

From Language An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir

A large number of their misprints could only have been perpetrated in the midst of the old orthographies.

From Literary Blunders by Henry Benjamin Wheatley

Their Algonquin name was Mascoutins or Maskoutens. with several other orthographies.

From Voyages of Samuel De Champlain — Volume 03 by Charles P. (Charles Pomeroy) Otis

It was Pippa and Bishop Blougram with a few pomegranate seeds and unexpected orthographies thrown in.

From Atlantic Classics, Second Series by Jane Addams

Edward I., it is very common under the orthographies of fil.

From Notes and Queries, Number 179, April 2, 1853. A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc by George Bell