orthographic

American  

[awr-thuh-graf-ik] / ˌɔr θəˈgræf ɪk /

Sometimes orthographical

adjective

1. of or relating to orthography.

2. orthogonal.

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orthographic British  

/ ˌɔːθəʊˈɡræfɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to spelling

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Other Word Forms

• nonorthographic
  adjective
• nonorthographical
  adjective
• nonorthographically
  adverb
• orthographically
  adverb
• unorthographical
  adjective
• unorthographically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of orthographic

First recorded in 1660–70; orthograph(y) + -ic

Explanation

Something related to orthography — the conventional spellings of a language — can be described as orthographic. Orthographic comes from the Greek roots ortho, meaning correct, and graphos, meaning writing. You have made several orthographic errors if you write "alot of peeple came two the skool." The spelling of "a lot," "people," "to," and "school" are all incorrect. If you tend to spell this way, it's possible that you have an orthographic processing problem, or trouble visualizing the correct patterns for spelling words, which can also affect how well you can read. English has so many odd spellings that almost everyone makes the occasional orthographic mistake.

Example Sentences

The principles of Derivation, and of Orthographic Analysis, are brought within the comprehension of the youngest learner.

From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)

Spelling, Milton gave metric hints by, 18; "Orthographic reform," 145-151.

From The Booklover and His Books by Koopman, Harry Lyman