orthography

[ awr-thog-ruh-fee ]

/ ɔrˈθɒg rə fi /

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noun, plural or·thog·ra·phies for 3-5.

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

the part of language study concerned with letters and spelling.

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

a system of such symbols: Missionaries provided the first orthography for the language.

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

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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Origin of orthography

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

Words nearby orthography

orthograde degeneration, orthographer, orthographic, orthographic projection, orthographize, orthography, orthohydrogen, orthokeratology, orthokeratosis, Ortho-Kung T cell, orthomechanical

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use orthography in a sentence

The orthography of the printed original of the Relation Dernire is an interesting mixture of old and new styles.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
A certain gentleman, not well skilled in orthography, requested his friend to send him too monkeys.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
The language of the Félibres had now a fixed orthography and definite grammatical form.
Frdric Mistral|Charles Alfred Downer
In the orthography of the Félibres the diagraph ue is used as we find it in Old French to represent this vowel.
Frdric Mistral|Charles Alfred Downer

He is said to have published also two books, one on Polish orthography in 1866 and one on popular astronomy in 1869.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks

British Dictionary definitions for orthography

orthography

/ (ɔːˈθɒɡrəfɪ) /

noun plural -phies

a writing system

spelling considered to be correct
the principles underlying spelling

the study of spelling

orthographic projection

Derived forms of orthography

orthographer or orthographist, noun

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