English Simplified Spelling  


I love the English language. I would recommend it to anyone as a second language. Like any language, it has its problems. But it has one great fault: It has one of the worst spelling systems of any language using an alphabet. Many people have tried to improve on it, with little success. And it is likely that I won't do any better. But I have to try! So here is a collection of ideas that attempt to find a balance between ease of learning and some resemblance to traditional spelling. I hope you like it.

Vowels


IPA
as in...
ESS
a [æ] cat
cat
á, -a
[a] father, ha
fáther, ha
ar [ar/a:] car
car
ai, -ay
[ei] bait, say
bait, say
air [eir/er/ɛr/ɛə] air
air
au, -aw
[ɔ:] caught, law
caut, law
e [ɛ] bet
bet
er [ər/ə] worker
wurker
é, -e
[i:] beet, me
bét, me
i [ɪ] bit
bit
ir [ir/ɪr/ɪə] beer bir
í, -i
[ai] kite, hi
kít, hi
ír [air/aɪə] fire
fír
o [ɒ/a] cot
cot
or [ɔr/ɔ:] or
or
ó, -o
[ou/əu] coat, no
cót, no
oi, -oy
[ɔi] coil, boy
coil, boy
oo [ʊ] cook
cook
oor
[ur/ʊr] boor
boor
ou, -ow [au] out, cow
out, cow
u [ʌ] cut
cut
ur [ɜr/ɜ:] burn
burn
ú, -u
[u:] coot, boo
cút, bu
eu, -ew
[ju:]
cute, few
keut, few
eur
[jɜr/jɜ:] pure
peur




a, e, i, o, and u  are pronounced [ə] in many unaccented syllables


Consonants


IPA
as in...
ESS
b [b] bib
bib

[k/s] cat, Cecil
cat, Cécil
ch  
[tʃ] church
church
d  
[d] dad
dad
f  
[f] fluff
fluf
g  
[g] giggle
gigel

[h] hi
hi
j  
[dʒ] judge
juj
k  
[k] kick
kik
l  
[l] lock
lok
m  
[m] mom
mom
n  
[n] nun
nun
ng  
[ŋ/ŋg] ring, finger
ring, finger
nk  
[ŋk] think
think

[p] pop
pop
qu  
[kw] quick
quik
r  
[r] roar
ror
s  
[s] sat
sat
sh  
[ʃ] shush
shush
t  
[t] tot
tot
th  
[θ/ð] thin, then
thin, then
v  
[v] verve
vurv
w  
[w] win
win

[ks/gz] extra, exact
extra, exact

[j] yes
yes
z  
[z] zigzag
zigzag
zh 
[ʒ] vision
vizhon

Concessions to tradition
Notes


Hamlet's Soliloque -- William Shakespeare

Tu be or not tu be, that iz tha queschon:
Wether tiz nóbler in tha mínd tu sufer
Tha slingz and aróz uv outraijos forchún,
Or tu taik ármz agenst a se uv trubelz,
And bi opózing, end them.  Tu di, tu slép -
No mor, and bi a slép tu say we end
Tha hart-aik and tha thouzand nachural shoks
That flesh iz air tu; tiz a consúmaishon
Devoutle tu be wisht.  Tu di, tu slép -
Tu slép, perchans tu drém - i, therz  tha rub,
For in that slép uv deth wát drémz may cum,
Wen we hav shufeld of this mortal coil,
Must giv us pauz; therz tha respect
That maiks calamite uv so long líf:
The ópresorz rong, tha proud manz contúmele,
Tha pangz uv despízd luv, tha lawz delay,
Tha insolens uv ofis, and tha spurnz
That paishent merit uv the unwurthe taiks,
Wen he himself mít hiz quietus maik
With a bair bodkin; hu wood fárdelz ber,
Tu grunt and swet under a wire líf,
But that tha dred uv sumthing after deth,
The undiscuverd cuntre, frum húz born
No traveler returnz, puzelz tha wil,
And maiks us rather ber thoz ilz we hav,
Than fli tu utherz that we no not uv?
Thus conshens duz maik cowardz uv us aul,
And thus tha naitiv hew uv rezolúshon
Iz sikléd ór with tha pail cast uv thaut,
And enterprízez uv grait pich and móment
With this regárd thair curents turn ari,
And lúz tha naim uv acshon. - Soft yu now,
Tha fair Ophelia.  Nimf, in thi orizonz
Be aul mi sinz rememberd.
Tha Gettysburg Adres -- Abraham Lincoln

For scor and seven yirz ago, our fátherz braut forth on this continent a nu naishon, consévd in liberte and dedicaited tu tha propozishon that aul men ar creaited équal.  Now we ar engaijd in a grait sivil wor, testing wether that naishon or ene naishon so consévd and so dedicaited can long endeur.  We ar met on a grait batelféld uv that wor.  We hav cum tu dedicait a porshon uv that féld az a fínal resting-plais for thóz hu hir gaiv thair lívz that that naishon mít liv.  It is aultúgether fiting and proper that we shood du this.  But in a larjer sens, we canot dedicait, we canot consecrait, we canot halo this ground.  Tha braiv men, living and ded, hu strugeld hir hav consecraited it far abuv our por power to ad or detract.  Tha wurld wil litel nót nor long remember wát we say hir, but it can never forget wát thay did hir.  It iz for us tha living rather tu be dedicaited hir tu the unfinisht wurk wich thay hu faut hir hav thus far so nóble advanst.  It iz rather for us tu be hir dedicaited tu tha grait task remaining befor us - that frum thóz onord ded we taik incrést devóshon tu that cauz for wich thay gaiv tha last fool mezhur uv devóshon - that we hir híle rezolv that thóz ded shal not hav díd in vain, that this naishon under God shal hav a nu burth uv frédom, and that guvernment uv tha pépel, bi tha pépel, for tha pépel shal not perish frum the urth.

Tha Lordz Prayer

Our fáther, hu árt in heven,
halód be thi naim.
Thi kingdom cum, thi will be dun,
on urth az it iz in heven.
Giv us this day our daile bred,
And forgiv us our trespasez
az we forgiv thóz hu trespas agenst us.
Léd us not intu temtaishon,
but deliver us frum évil
For thín iz tha power, tha glore,
and tha kingdom, forever.
Amen.