Archive:Article of the Week
The Article of the Week is an article chosen by vote among Citizens as exemplifying various qualities we like to see in a Citizendium article; see our article standards. It is chosen each week by vote in a manner similar to that of its sister project, the New Draft of the Week
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Cryptography | --Daniel Mietchen 11:00, 1 April 2010 (UTC) | Howard C. Berkowitz 17:20, 6 April 2010 | 3 |
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English spellings: Lists of English words showing pronunciation, and articles about letters. [e]
English is notorious for its many varied, inconsistent and irregular spellings. This can be seen at its most extravagant in the field of proper nouns—for example, simply adding an 'h' to 'Maria' to make it rhyme with 'pariah', or calling oneself 'Cholmondeley Featherstonehaugh' while pronouncing it 'Chumley Fanshaw'. An example of a common misspelling is 'disasterous' for 'disastrous', retaining the 'e' of 'disaster'. Many words do not turn out to have the pronunciation they appear to have: 'do' and 'to' do not rhyme with 'go' and 'no', while 'seismic', instead of being 'seezmic' or 'sayzmic', or even 'sayizmic', is in fact 'size-mic'. The above grid (reproduced and explained below) provides links to three lists and a cluster of articles devoted to these things. To show pronunciation, these articles use correct spellings with added accent marks, instead of relying on the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). In some cases incorrect respellings are placed next to the correct ones, signalled by a preceding asterisk, like thís *thíss. The accent marks show pronunciation, thús. A table of these accents (which are not part of the language[1]) can be found below; there is also an IPA key at English phonemes. Where there is more than one accent, the first is stressed, and the same is true after a hyphen, so in the respelling of Tchaikóvsky, *Chŷ-kóffskỳ, it is 'kóff' that has the main stress. (Another way of showing new stress is with a bar: Tchaî|kóvsky.) A sentence from the preceding paragraph can thus be rewritten as follows: "An example of a common misspelling is *disāsterous for disāstrous, retaining the E of disāster." Respelling may be used to exemplify an incorrect spelling, or show a correct pronunciation, or a bit of both. Unlike the IPA, where there can only be one version per pronunciation, as there must be an unambiguous one-to-one correspondence, there can be many respellings: if *disāsterous for disāstrous is a common mistake, we can also represent the pronunciation as *dizāstrus or *dizāstrous or *dizāstrəss (with 'ə', a special character – the only one used – for schwa); or we can contrast British English *dizàstrus with American *dizástrus. Particular attention is given to homophones, words with the same pronunciation but different meanings. English is rich in homophones, many of which are also homonyms, having also the same spelling, as, for example, cán able, tin (the italicised words suggest meanings, in this case two); while homographs are words with the same spelling whose meanings are distinguished by different pronunciations. Also of special note are words that many writers incorrectly divide. ôver and dûe, for example, combine to form overdûe, without a space in the middle. Such examples are included with ‘one word’ alongside them: alongsîde one word. An equals sign = is placed between homophones (in some cases the approximately equals sign ≈ is more appropriate). Homographs and other similar-looking words are included after 'cf.' (Latin conferre, 'compare'). Some words from other languages, in most cases French, may sometimes appear in English with accents from those languages. Here, such spellings are shown using bold italics: touchè may be written with a French accent: touché *tooshây. The apostrophe is an important part of spelling and so it is treated as a letter, with its own place at the end of the alphabet. Fragments of words are in bold when correctly spelt: Ukrâine has -âine, not -âne. Words in italics are used to suggest meanings (e.g. sêa water = sêe vision, where the equals sign denotes identical pronunciation). Words beginning with an initial capital may have no word in italics following: these are names of people, either personal or family, and/or commercial or place names. Such words are included because they often contrast with the spellings of homophones: a bank clerk might be named Clàrk or Clàrke, but probably not 'Clerk' (though BrE clerk = Clàrk/Clàrke). Unusual spellings can be explained by regular ones: Cloúgh = Clúff. An American called Maurìce Mŏrris could just as well be called Mórris Maurice ("Morris Morris") in Britain, where Maurice = Mórris (although it would be putting the conventional surname before the conventional given name). Links to letter articles and lists
In the navigation table above (reproduced at the top of each article in the cluster) the cells in each row link as follows:
Two main varieties are distinguished: British English (BrE), that of the UK and much of the Commonwealth (see also Commonwealth English), and American English (AmE), that of the USA and Canada (without the cåught = cót merger that has occurred in some parts of North America). Unlike dictionaries, the lists include personal and place names for their own sake and for contrast. Table of accentsThese accents are intended to show the pronunciation while retaining the spelling: they are not part of the language. Those on i and y show the same sound; similarly with u, oo and w. Accented vowels are stressed (ỳ is normally unstressed, as in háppy). ā, not in the table, means that the sound is à in standard British and Commonwealth pronunciations but á in American and other British and Commonwealth speech.
Example sentencesThese sentences show how the accents may be used, for example, when teaching pronunciation. Words without accents are monosyllables with the schwa sound, a neutral grunt. The usual short sound, acute accent: The gínger cát was jéalous of the bláck cát: howéver, the tábby was a véry dífferent mátter - the stúff of réveries, ín fáct. The usual long sound, circumflex accent: Sây mŷ nâme thrêe tîmes with stŷle and Î’ll gô and fînd a tûne to plây for yoû. The third sound, grave accent: Christìna Grèy shoùld (and dòes?) lòve her mòther and fàther. The ër sound, umlaut: But fïrst, Mÿrtle, fürther dïrty, ïrksome and distürbing wörk for the nürses. The ŏr sound (sůre here is with British pronunciation = Shåw), the ring, or half-ring: Sůre yoû ŏught to cråwl ón åll fŏurs, m’lŏrd? Irregular, without accent, instead with respelling: Many women? Any woman! (pronounced: *Ménny wímmin? Énny wùman!) Double lettersThe following alphabetical table shows examples of how letters can be doubled in English. Double consonant letters before suffixes are used (as often elsewhere) to preserve short vowel sounds, as in flípped (not *flîped), rebélled (not *rebêled) and pégged (not *pêged, which if regular would in any case be pronounced *pêjed). Compare scrâped, past of scrâpe, and scrápped, from scráp. In the case of t, doubling it after an unstressed vowel and before a suffix may seem unnecessary, but in some cases it can be doubled before -ed: either tàrgeted or tàrgetted (but always commítted). The sign # indicates a double letter that is rare in that position; capital-letter words indicate that the double letter in this position is only found in names. An asterisk (*) indicates a respelling to show pronunciation, and an equals sign (=) introduces a homophone.
Names of the lettersThe names of the letters of the alphabet are rarely written out in English (a simple capital being the normal usage: "with a C, not a K") so that, unlike in many other languages, most of their spellings have a rather unofficial status. But they can be shown as follows, using real words where possible: A: â (the indefinite article, when stressed), èh? what? B: bê exist, bêe sting C: occasionally cêe; sêe look, sêa ship D: Dêe River, surname E: ê as in êmail, ê-mail F: éff as in the euphemism éff óff G: gêe up, exclamation *jêe H: âitch as in drópping your âitches I: Î me, eŷe vision J: jây bird K: Kây person L: él elevated railway (AmE) M: ém dash N: én dash O: ôwe debt, ôh! exclamation P: pêa pod, pêe urine, p pence (BrE) Q: queûe line, cûe ball, prompt R: àre be, BrE àh exclamation S: occasionally éss T: têa drink, têe golf, tì do-re-mi U: yoû me, eŵe sheep V: Vêe Bobby W: "doúble you" (*dúblyu; cf. vácûum, which actually does have a doúble Û) X: éx- past Y: whŷ reason (voiced w, as in BrE) Z: BrE zéd, AmE zêe The Chaosby Gerard Nolst Trenité This poem on pronunciation irregularities was first published in 1920. Accent marks, respellings and editorial comments have been added to reflect current British English pronunciation. The unadorned poem, with an introduction, can be found here.
Stúdying English (*Ínglish) pronunciâtion,
Î wíll kêep yoû, Sûsy, busy (*bízzy), Mâke yŏur héad wíth hêat grôw dízzy;
Prây, consôle yŏur lòving pôet, Mâke mŷ côat loòk neŵ, dêar, sew (=sô) ít!
Swŏrd (*sŏrd) and swård, retâin and Brítain [Mînd the látter hòw ít's wrítten].
Nòw Î sůrely wíll nót plâgue yoû Wíth súch wörds as vâgue and âgûe,
Prêvious, précious, fûchsia (*feŵsha), vîa, Récipê, pîpe, stúdding-sâil, choîr (=quîre);
Sây, expécting fråud and tríckerỳ: Dåughter (*dåwter), làughter (*làfter) ánd Terpsíchorê (*Terpsíckery),
Whôlly (=hôly), hólly, sígnal, sîgning (*sîning), Sâme, exámining, but mîning,
From "desîre": desîrable - ádmirable from "admîre", Lúmber, plúmber, biêr, but brîer,
Òne (=wòn), anémonê, Balmóral, Kítchen, lîchen (=lîken), låundry, laurel (lórrel).
Tŏrtoise (*tŏrtus), türquŏise, chámois-léather (*shámwà-), Rêading, Réading, hêathen, héather.
Háve yoû éver yét endéavoured To (=toô)[10] pronòunce revêred and sévered,
Bíllet dòes nót énd lîke bállèt (*bállây); Boûquèt, ẁallet, mállet, chálèt.
Bánquet ís nót nêarly pàrquèt, Whích exáctly rhŷmes wíth khàkì. —not usually nowadays
Rícochèted and crôchèting, crôquèt? Rîght! Yŏur pronunciâtion's OK.[11]
Ís yŏur R corréct ín hîgher? Kêats assërts ít rhŷmes Thalîa.
Sây abscíssion wíth precísion, Nòw: posítion ánd transítion;
Twòpence, thréepence, têase are êasy, But cêase, crêase, grêase and grêasy?
Óf súch púzzling wörds as nåuseous, Rhŷming wéll wíth cåutious, tŏrtious,
Woùld yoû lîke some mŏre? Yoû'll háve ít! Áffidâvit, Dâvid, dávit.
Líberty, lîbrary, hêave and héaven, Râchel, lóch, moustàche, eléven.
Màrk the dífference, moreôver, Betwêen mover (*moôver), plòver, Dôver.
Cámel, cònstable, únstâble, Prínciple, discîple, lâbel.
Sûit, suìte, rûín. Cïrcuít, cónduít Rhŷme wíth "shïrk ít" and "beyónd ít". —still?
Múscle, múscular, gâol (=jâil), îron, Tímber, clîmber, búllion, lîon,
Îvy, prívy, fâmous; clámour Hás thê Â of dráchm and hámmer.
Gôlf, wolf (=Woòlf), còuntenance, lieuténants Hŏist ín lieû of flágs léft pénnants.
"Sôlder, sôldier! Blòod ís thícker", Quôth hê, "than liqueûr ŏr líquor",
Strânger dòes nót rhŷme wíth ánger, Neîther dòes devòur wíth clángour. —neither does anger: *áng-gə
Àrsenic, specífic, scênic, Rélic, rhétoric, hygìênic.
Sây invèigh, nèigh, but invêigle, Mâke the látter rhŷme wíth êagle.
Ánd Î bét yoû, dêar, a pénny, Yoû sây máni-(fôld) lîke many (*ménny),
Àrch, archângel; prây, dòes ërring Rhŷme wíth hérring ŏr wíth stïrring?
Persevêrance, séverance. Ríbald Rhŷmes (but pîebåld dòesn't) wíth níbbled.
Dôn't bê dòwn, mŷ ôwn, but roúgh ít, Ánd distínguish bùffèt, búffet;
Sây ín sòunds corréct and stërling Hëarse, hêar, heàrken, yêar and yëarling —yëar and yêarling are about as likely Êvil, dévil, mézzotínt,
Nòw yoû nêed nót pây atténtion To (=toô) súch sòunds as Î dôn't méntion,
Nŏr are próper nâmes inclûded, Thôugh Î óften hëard, as yoû díd,
Nô, mŷ mâiden, cŏy and còmely, Î dôn't ẁant to spêak of Chòlmondeley (*Chúmley).
But mînd trívial and vîal, Trîpod, mênial, denîal,
Àrgil, gíll, Argŷll, gíll. Sůrely Mây bê mâde to rhŷme wíth Råleigh,
Hád thís ínvalid inválid Wörthless dócuments? Hòw pállid,
Zeûs, Thêbes, Thales, Aphrodîtê, Páramour, enámoured, flîghty,
Plêase dôn't mònkey wíth the gêyser, Dôn't pêel 'tâters wíth mŷ râzor,
Pîous, ímpìous, límb, clîmb, glúmly, Worsted (wùsted), wörsted, crúmbly, dúmbly,
The TH (*têe-âitch) wíll sůrely troúble you Mŏre than R, CH ŏr W (*àh, cêe-âitch ŏr doúble-û)
Thómpson, Chátham, Wåltham, Stréatham, Thére are mŏre but Î forgét 'em -
Thê archâíc wörd ålbêít Does nót rhŷme wíth èight - yoû sêe ít;
Shoes (=shoôs), gôes, dòes. Nòw fïrst sây: fínger; Thén sây: sínger, gínger, línger.
Hêro, héron, quêry, véry, Párry, tárry, fûry, bury,
Fåugh, oppúgnant, kêen oppûgners, Bòwing, bôwing, bánjo-tûners
Thôugh the dífference sêems líttle, Wê sây áctual, but víctual, Sêat, swéat, châste, càste, Lêigh, èight, heîght,
Féoffer dòes, and zéphyr, héifer.
Gáelic, Árabic, pacífic, —Scottish; or regular Gâelic if Irish Scîence, cónscience, scientífic;
Sây manoeûvre, yacht (*yót) and vómit, Néxt omít, whích díffers fróm ít
Sêa, idêa, guínea, ãrêa, Psàlm, Marìa, bút malãria.
Compãre âlien wíth Itálian, Dándelîon wíth battálion,
Sây avër, but éver, fêver, Neîther, léisure, skèin, recêiver.
Stàrry, gránary, canãry, Crévice, but devîce, and éyrie,
Báss, làrge, tàrget, gín, gíve, vërging, Ŏught, òust, jòust, and scòur, but scoürging;
Mînd thê Ô of óff and óften Whích mây bê pronòunced as ŏrphan, —scarcely heard nowadays
Pùdding, púddle, pùtting. Pútting? Yés: at gôlf ít rhŷmes wíth shútting.
Séven ís rîght, but sô ís êven, Hŷphen, roúghen, néphew, Stêphen,
 of válour, vápid vâpour, S of neŵs (-z) (compãre neŵspâper (-ss-)),
Díffer like divërse and dîvers, Rívers, strîvers, shívers, fîvers.
Pronúnciation - thínk of Psŷchê! - Ís a pâling, stòut and spîky.
Ìt's a dàrk abýss ŏr túnnel Streŵn wíth stônes lîke rôwlock, gúnwale,
Dôn't yoû thínk sô, rêader, ràther, Sâying làther, bâther, fàther?
Hiccoúgh hás the sòund of súp. Mŷ advîce ís: GÍVE ÍT ÚP! Notes
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Daniel Mietchen 10:41, 1 April 2010 (UTC); Meg Ireland 11:21, 1 April 2010 (UTC)Gareth Leng 15:09, 6 April 2010 (UTC);Alexander Wiebel 20:11, 6 April 2010 (UTC) | 4
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A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | |
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Use in English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alphabetical word list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retroalphabetical list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common misspellings |
English is notorious for its many varied, inconsistent and irregular spellings. This can be seen at its most extravagant in the field of proper nouns—for example, simply adding an 'h' to 'Maria' to make it rhyme with 'pariah', or calling oneself 'Cholmondeley Featherstonehaugh' while pronouncing it 'Chumley Fanshaw'. An example of a common misspelling is 'disasterous' for 'disastrous', retaining the 'e' of 'disaster'. Many words do not turn out to have the pronunciation they appear to have: 'do' and 'to' do not rhyme with 'go' and 'no', while 'seismic', instead of being 'seezmic' or 'sayzmic', or even 'sayizmic', is in fact 'size-mic'. The above grid (reproduced and explained below) provides links to three lists and a cluster of articles devoted to these things.
To show pronunciation, these articles use correct spellings with added accent marks, instead of relying on the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). In some cases incorrect respellings are placed next to the correct ones, signalled by a preceding asterisk, like thís *thíss. The accent marks show pronunciation, thús. A table of these accents (which are not part of the language[1]) can be found below; there is also an IPA key at English phonemes. Where there is more than one accent, the first is stressed, and the same is true after a hyphen, so in the respelling of Tchaikóvsky, *Chŷ-kóffskỳ, it is 'kóff' that has the main stress. (Another way of showing new stress is with a bar: Tchaî|kóvsky.) A sentence from the preceding paragraph can thus be rewritten as follows: "An example of a common misspelling is *disāsterous for disāstrous, retaining the E of disāster." Respelling may be used to exemplify an incorrect spelling, or show a correct pronunciation, or a bit of both. Unlike the IPA, where there can only be one version per pronunciation, as there must be an unambiguous one-to-one correspondence, there can be many respellings: if *disāsterous for disāstrous is a common mistake, we can also represent the pronunciation as *dizāstrus or *dizāstrous or *dizāstrəss (with 'ə', a special character – the only one used – for schwa); or we can contrast British English *dizàstrus with American *dizástrus.
Particular attention is given to homophones, words with the same pronunciation but different meanings. English is rich in homophones, many of which are also homonyms, having also the same spelling, as, for example, cán able, tin (the italicised words suggest meanings, in this case two); while homographs are words with the same spelling whose meanings are distinguished by different pronunciations.
Also of special note are words that many writers incorrectly divide. ôver and dûe, for example, combine to form overdûe, without a space in the middle. Such examples are included with ‘one word’ alongside them: alongsîde one word.
An equals sign = is placed between homophones (in some cases the approximately equals sign ≈ is more appropriate). Homographs and other similar-looking words are included after 'cf.' (Latin conferre, 'compare').
Some words from other languages, in most cases French, may sometimes appear in English with accents from those languages. Here, such spellings are shown using bold italics: touchè may be written with a French accent: touché *tooshây.
The apostrophe is an important part of spelling and so it is treated as a letter, with its own place at the end of the alphabet.
Fragments of words are in bold when correctly spelt: Ukrâine has -âine, not -âne.
Words in italics are used to suggest meanings (e.g. sêa water = sêe vision, where the equals sign denotes identical pronunciation). Words beginning with an initial capital may have no word in italics following: these are names of people, either personal or family, and/or commercial or place names. Such words are included because they often contrast with the spellings of homophones: a bank clerk might be named Clàrk or Clàrke, but probably not 'Clerk' (though BrE clerk = Clàrk/Clàrke). Unusual spellings can be explained by regular ones: Cloúgh = Clúff. An American called Maurìce Mŏrris could just as well be called Mórris Maurice ("Morris Morris") in Britain, where Maurice = Mórris (although it would be putting the conventional surname before the conventional given name).
Links to letter articles and lists
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | |
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Use in English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alphabetical word list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retroalphabetical list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common misspellings |
In the navigation table above (reproduced at the top of each article in the cluster) the cells in each row link as follows:
- Top row: articles on each letter and its use in English. There are similar articles on GH, the apostrophe and the hyphen.
- Second row: alphabetical lists of of commonly misspelt and/or mispronounced words, alongside more regular words they may be confused with (words beginning with an apostrophe are here). Some incorrect spellings are also listed, signalled by an asterisk: *dispánd disbánd means that the word is 'disband'. (The bottom row is devoted entirely to misspellings and typos.)
- Third row: retroalphabetical lists, arranged alphabetically according to the final letter of the word and continuing backwards through it:
- In the retroalphabetical lists the headword is on the right. In this way, suffixes and other word endings can be seen grouped together, just as prefixes can be seen in normal alphabetical order. So, instead of ádd båll coúsin, we have réplicA fláB plástiC; and so for mûsiC, see under -C, for mûsicaL, see under -L, for pàrticlE, see under -E, and so on.
- Some suffixes are included separately; their pronunciation may or may not apply to following words ("always -ãrian" means there is no other pronunciation of -ãrian).
- Throughout, the apostrophe is treated as the last letter, after Z. (Words ending in an apostrophe are also here.)
- For clarity, italic association words are to the left of the example word:
- woman mâid = make mâde
- For clarity, italic association words are to the left of the example word:
- Some incorrect spellings are listed retroalphabetically, in which case the misspelling goes on the right, just as in the alphabetical list:
- wêasel *wêasal
- Some incorrect spellings are listed retroalphabetically, in which case the misspelling goes on the right, just as in the alphabetical list:
- Bottom row: common misspellings including typos (blue-linked for checking purposes), followed by the correct versions.
Two main varieties are distinguished: British English (BrE), that of the UK and much of the Commonwealth (see also Commonwealth English), and American English (AmE), that of the USA and Canada (without the cåught = cót merger that has occurred in some parts of North America).
Unlike dictionaries, the lists include personal and place names for their own sake and for contrast.
Table of accents
These accents are intended to show the pronunciation while retaining the spelling: they are not part of the language. Those on i and y show the same sound; similarly with u, oo and w. Accented vowels are stressed (ỳ is normally unstressed, as in háppy). ā, not in the table, means that the sound is à in standard British and Commonwealth pronunciations but á in American and other British and Commonwealth speech.
Front vowels | Back vowels | |||||||
e | i | y[2] | a | o | u | oo | w[3] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The typical short sound, never occurring at the end of a word (acute accent) | pét | pít | crýpt | cát | dóg[4] | nút | ||
The typical long sound, corresponding to the names of the letters A, E, I, O and U (circumflex accent) | sêe | nîce | mŷ | nâme | nôse | rûle | toô | neŵ |
Sounds shown with the grave accent (ẁ- and qù- indicate the BrE ó sound of the following a, ẁad rhyming with qùad; òu and òw are diphthongs sounding like àù in àùtobahn: nòw has this sòund) | èight (= â) | machìne (= ê) | quaỳ water = kêỳ lock (= ê) |
àre | òther, blòod (= ú) |
fùll (= oò), qùantity (= w) | foòt (= ù) | ẁant (= wó)[5] |
The ër sound (umlaut accent) | përson | bïrd | mÿrtle | (ëarth) | wörd | pürr | ||
The åw/ŏr sound (ring accent)[6] | (cŏin) | (jŏy) | åll | mŏre | (for some BrE speakers) sůre | |||
The ãir sound (tilde accent) | (thére) | (ãir = | Ãyr) | stãre | ||||
Irregular (respelling needed) | sew (= sô) | meringue (*məráng) | because (*bikóz) | woman (*wùmən), women (*wímən) | business (*bízníss) |
Example sentences
These sentences show how the accents may be used, for example, when teaching pronunciation. Words without accents are monosyllables with the schwa sound, a neutral grunt.
The usual short sound, acute accent:
The gínger cát was jéalous of the bláck cát: howéver, the tábby was a véry dífferent mátter - the stúff of réveries, ín fáct.
The usual long sound, circumflex accent:
Sây mŷ nâme thrêe tîmes with stŷle and Î’ll gô and fînd a tûne to plây for yoû.
The third sound, grave accent:
Christìna Grèy shoùld (and dòes?) lòve her mòther and fàther.
The ër sound, umlaut:
But fïrst, Mÿrtle, fürther dïrty, ïrksome and distürbing wörk for the nürses.
The ŏr sound (sůre here is with British pronunciation = Shåw), the ring, or half-ring:
Sůre yoû ŏught to cråwl ón åll fŏurs, m’lŏrd?
Irregular, without accent, instead with respelling:
Many women? Any woman! (pronounced: *Ménny wímmin? Énny wùman!)
Double letters
The following alphabetical table shows examples of how letters can be doubled in English.
Double consonant letters before suffixes are used (as often elsewhere) to preserve short vowel sounds, as in flípped (not *flîped), rebélled (not *rebêled) and pégged (not *pêged, which if regular would in any case be pronounced *pêjed). Compare scrâped, past of scrâpe, and scrápped, from scráp. In the case of t, doubling it after an unstressed vowel and before a suffix may seem unnecessary, but in some cases it can be doubled before -ed: either tàrgeted or tàrgetted (but always commítted).
The sign # indicates a double letter that is rare in that position; capital-letter words indicate that the double letter in this position is only found in names. An asterisk (*) indicates a respelling to show pronunciation, and an equals sign (=) introduces a homophone.
letter | initial | medial | final | final + silent e |
---|---|---|---|---|
A | àardvark #[7] | bazàar # | bàa # | |
B | ríbbon | ébb # | Crábbe (= cráb) | |
C | sóccer (*sócker), accépt (*əxépt) | |||
D | hídden | ádd | ||
E | êel | bêen | sêe | |
F | Ffoùlkes | éffort | óff | Clíffe (= clíff) |
G | aggréssion (-g-), exággerate (-j-) | égg # | Légge (= lég) | |
H | hítchhike # (accidental) | |||
I | skìíng # | Hawàìi # | ||
J | hàjj # (also spelt hàdj) | |||
K | púkka; boòkkeeper (accidental)[8] # | |||
L | llàma[9] # | fílling | wéll | bélle beauty (= béll ring) |
M | súmmer | Crámm (= crám) | grámme (= grám) | |
N | dínner | ínn # pub | Ánne (= Ánn) | |
O | oôze, oòmph # | foôd, foòt, flòod, doŏr | toô | Loôe (= loô) |
P | flípped | stéppe Asia # (= stép foot) | ||
Q | Sadìqqi # | |||
R | érror | pürr | ||
S | méssy | lóss | crevásse | |
T | bétter | ẁatt | couchétte -sh- | |
U | vácuum # (*vákyoôm) | |||
V | révved # | |||
W | Lawwell # (accidental) | |||
X | Éxxon ™ # | Bób B. Sóxx # | ||
Y | Khayyàm # | |||
Z | fízzy | búzz |
Names of the letters
The names of the letters of the alphabet are rarely written out in English (a simple capital being the normal usage: "with a C, not a K") so that, unlike in many other languages, most of their spellings have a rather unofficial status. But they can be shown as follows, using real words where possible:
A: â (the indefinite article, when stressed), èh? what?
B: bê exist, bêe sting
C: occasionally cêe; sêe look, sêa ship
D: Dêe River, surname
E: ê as in êmail, ê-mail
F: éff as in the euphemism éff óff
G: gêe up, exclamation *jêe
H: âitch as in drópping your âitches
I: Î me, eŷe vision
J: jây bird
K: Kây person
L: él elevated railway (AmE)
M: ém dash
N: én dash
O: ôwe debt, ôh! exclamation
P: pêa pod, pêe urine, p pence (BrE)
Q: queûe line, cûe ball, prompt
R: àre be, BrE àh exclamation
S: occasionally éss
T: têa drink, têe golf, tì do-re-mi
U: yoû me, eŵe sheep
V: Vêe Bobby
W: "doúble you" (*dúblyu; cf. vácûum, which actually does have a doúble Û)
X: éx- past
Y: whŷ reason (voiced w, as in BrE)
Z: BrE zéd, AmE zêe
The Chaos
by Gerard Nolst Trenité
This poem on pronunciation irregularities was first published in 1920. Accent marks, respellings and editorial comments have been added to reflect current British English pronunciation. The unadorned poem, with an introduction, can be found here.
The Châós (*câyóss)
Dêarest crêature ín creâtion
Stúdying English (*Ínglish) pronunciâtion,
- Î wíll têach yoû ín mŷ vërse
- Sòunds lîke cŏrpse, cŏrps (*cŏr), hŏrse and wörse.
Î wíll kêep yoû, Sûsy, busy (*bízzy),
Mâke yŏur héad wíth hêat grôw dízzy;
- Têar ín eŷe, yŏur dréss yŏu'll téar;
- Quêer, fãir sêer (*sêe-er), hêar mŷ prãyer.
Prây, consôle yŏur lòving pôet,
Mâke mŷ côat loòk neŵ, dêar, sew (=sô) ít!
- Júst compãre heàrt, hêar and hëard,
- Dîes and dîet (*dîət), lŏrd and wörd.
Swŏrd (*sŏrd) and swård, retâin and Brítain
[Mînd the látter hòw ít's wrítten].
- Mâde hás nót the sòund of báde,
- Sây–said (*séd), pây–pâid, lâid but pláid.
Nòw Î sůrely wíll nót plâgue yoû
Wíth súch wörds as vâgue and âgûe,
- Bút bê cãreful hòw yoû spêak,
- Sây: gúsh, bùsh, steâk, strêak, breâk, blêak,
Prêvious, précious, fûchsia (*feŵsha), vîa,
Récipê, pîpe, stúdding-sâil, choîr (=quîre);
- Wôven, óven, hòw and lôw,
- Scrípt, recêipt (*rissêet), shoe (=shoô), pôem, tôe.
Sây, expécting fråud and tríckerỳ:
Dåughter (*dåwter), làughter (*làfter) ánd Terpsíchorê (*Terpsíckery),
- Brànch, rànch, mêasles, tópsails, aîsles (*îles),
- Míssîles, símilês, revîles.
Whôlly (=hôly), hólly, sígnal, sîgning (*sîning),
Sâme, exámining, but mîning,
- Schólar (*scóllar), vícar, and cigàr,
- Sôlar, mîca, wår and fàr.
From "desîre": desîrable - ádmirable from "admîre",
Lúmber, plúmber, biêr, but brîer,
- Tópsham, broûgham (*breŵəm), renòwn, but knôwn,
- Knówledge, dòne, lône, góne, nòne, tône,
Òne (=wòn), anémonê, Balmóral,
Kítchen, lîchen (=lîken), låundry, laurel (lórrel).
- Gërtrude, Gërman (J-), wínd and wînd,
- Beau (=Bô), kînd, kíndred, queûe, mankînd,
Tŏrtoise (*tŏrtus), türquŏise, chámois-léather (*shámwà-),
Rêading, Réading, hêathen, héather.
- Thís phonétic lábyrínth
- Gíves móss, grôss, broòk, brôoch, nînth, plínth.
Háve yoû éver yét endéavoured
To (=toô)[10] pronòunce revêred and sévered,
- Dêmon, lémon, ghoûl, fòul, sôul,
- Pêter, pétrol and patrôl?
Bíllet dòes nót énd lîke bállèt (*bállây);
Boûquèt, ẁallet, mállet, chálèt.
- Blòod and flòod are nót lîke foôd,
- Nŏr ís môuld lîke shoùld and woùld (=woòd).
Bánquet ís nót nêarly pàrquèt,
Whích exáctly rhŷmes wíth khàkì. —not usually nowadays
- Díscòunt, vîscòunt (*vîcòunt), lôad and brŏad,
- Towård, to fŏrward, to (=toô) rewård,
Rícochèted and crôchèting, crôquèt?
Rîght! Yŏur pronunciâtion's OK.[11]
- Ròunded, woûnded, griêve and síeve,
- Friénd and fiênd, alîve and líve.
Ís yŏur R corréct ín hîgher?
Kêats assërts ít rhŷmes Thalîa.
- Hûgh, but húg, and hoòd, but hoôt,
- Buŏyant, mínute, bút minûte.
Sây abscíssion wíth precísion,
Nòw: posítion ánd transítion;
- Woùld ít tálly wíth mŷ rhŷme
- Íf Î méntioned páradîgm?
Twòpence, thréepence, têase are êasy,
But cêase, crêase, grêase and grêasy?
- Cŏrnice, nîce, valìse, revîse,
- Râbíes, but lúllabîes.
Óf súch púzzling wörds as nåuseous,
Rhŷming wéll wíth cåutious, tŏrtious,
- Yoû'll envélop lísts, Î hôpe,
- Ín a línen énvelôpe.
Woùld yoû lîke some mŏre? Yoû'll háve ít!
Áffidâvit, Dâvid, dávit.
- To (=toô) abjûre, to përjure. Shèik
- Dòes nót sòund lîke Czéch but âche.
Líberty, lîbrary, hêave and héaven,
Râchel, lóch, moustàche, eléven.
- Wê sây hállôwed, bút allòwed,
- Pêople, léopard, tôwed but vòwed.
Màrk the dífference, moreôver,
Betwêen mover (*moôver), plòver, Dôver.
- Lêaches, brêeches, wîse, precîse,
- Chálíce, bút polìce and lîce,
Cámel, cònstable, únstâble,
Prínciple, discîple, lâbel.
- Pétal, pênal, and canál,
- Wâit, surmîse, pláit, prómíse, pál,
Sûit, suìte, rûín. Cïrcuít, cónduít
Rhŷme wíth "shïrk ít" and "beyónd ít". —still?
- Bút ít ís nót hàrd to téll
- Whŷ ít's påll, måll, but Páll Máll.
Múscle, múscular, gâol (=jâil), îron,
Tímber, clîmber, búllion, lîon,
- Wörm and stŏrm, chaise (*shézz), châós, chãir,
- Sénator, spectâtor, mãyor,
Îvy, prívy, fâmous; clámour
Hás thê Â of dráchm and hámmer.
- Pùssy, hússy ánd posséss,
- Désert, but desërt, addréss.
Gôlf, wolf (=Woòlf), còuntenance, lieuténants
Hŏist ín lieû of flágs léft pénnants.
- Coùrier, cŏurtier, tomb (*toôm), bómb, cômb,
- Còw, but Cowper (=Coôper), sòme and hôme.
"Sôlder, sôldier! Blòod ís thícker",
Quôth hê, "than liqueûr ŏr líquor",
- Mâking, ít ís sád but trûe,
- Ín bravàdo, múch ado (*adoô).
Strânger dòes nót rhŷme wíth ánger,
Neîther dòes devòur wíth clángour. —neither does anger: *áng-gə
- Pîlot, pívot, gåunt, but āunt,
- Fónt, frònt, wônt, wånt, gránd and grānt.
Àrsenic, specífic, scênic,
Rélic, rhétoric, hygìênic.
- Goòseberry, goôse, and clôse, but clôse,
- Páradise, rîse, rôse, and dôse.
Sây invèigh, nèigh, but invêigle,
Mâke the látter rhŷme wíth êagle.
- Mînd! Mêándering but mêan,
- Válentîne and mágazìne.
Ánd Î bét yoû, dêar, a pénny,
Yoû sây máni-(fôld) lîke many (*ménny),
- Whích ís wróng. Sây râpier, pìêr,
- Tîer (òne who tîes), but tìêr.
Àrch, archângel; prây, dòes ërring
Rhŷme wíth hérring ŏr wíth stïrring?
- Príson, bîson, tréasure trôve,
- Trêason, hóver, còver, côve,
Persevêrance, séverance. Ríbald
Rhŷmes (but pîebåld dòesn't) wíth níbbled.
- Phâeton, paêan, gnát, ghåt, gnåw,
- Liên, psŷchic, shóne, bône, pshåw.
Dôn't bê dòwn, mŷ ôwn, but roúgh ít,
Ánd distínguish bùffèt, búffet;
- Broôd, stoòd, roôf, roòk, schoôl, woòl, boôn,
- Worcester (*Wùster), Boleýn, to (=toô) impûgn.
Sây ín sòunds corréct and stërling
Hëarse, hêar, heàrken, yêar and yëarling —yëar and yêarling are about as likely
Êvil, dévil, mézzotínt,
- Mînd the Z (zéd)! (A géntle hínt.)
Nòw yoû nêed nót pây atténtion
To (=toô) súch sòunds as Î dôn't méntion,
- Sòunds lîke pŏres, påuse, pŏurs and påws,
- Rhŷming wíth the prônòun yŏurs;
Nŏr are próper nâmes inclûded,
Thôugh Î óften hëard, as yoû díd,
- Fúnny rhŷmes to ûnicŏrn,
- Yés, yoû knôw them, Våughan and Stråchan —nowadays regularised to *Strákhən
Nô, mŷ mâiden, cŏy and còmely,
Î dôn't ẁant to spêak of Chòlmondeley (*Chúmley).
- Nô. Yét Froûde compãred wíth pròud
- Ís nô bétter thán McLeod (*McClòud).
But mînd trívial and vîal,
Trîpod, mênial, denîal,
- Trôll and trólley, réalm and rêam,
- Schédule, míschief, schísm, and schême.
Àrgil, gíll, Argŷll, gíll. Sůrely
Mây bê mâde to rhŷme wíth Råleigh,
- Bút yŏu're nót suppôsed to sây
- Pìquèt rhŷmes wíth sóbriquèt.
Hád thís ínvalid inválid
Wörthless dócuments? Hòw pállid,
- Hòw uncoûth hê, còuchant, loòked,
- Whén for Pŏrtsmouth Î had boòked!
Zeûs, Thêbes, Thales, Aphrodîtê,
Páramour, enámoured, flîghty,
- Épisôdes, antípodês,
- Ácquiésce, and óbsequies.
Plêase dôn't mònkey wíth the gêyser,
Dôn't pêel 'tâters wíth mŷ râzor,
- Rāther sây ín áccents pûre:
- Nâture, státure ánd matûre.
Pîous, ímpìous, límb, clîmb, glúmly,
Worsted (wùsted), wörsted, crúmbly, dúmbly,
- Cónquer, cónquest, vàse, phâse, fán,
- Ẁan, sedán and àrtisan.
The TH (*têe-âitch) wíll sůrely troúble you
Mŏre than R, CH ŏr W (*àh, cêe-âitch ŏr doúble-û)
- Sây thén thêse phonétic géms:
- Thómas, thŷme, Therêsa, Thames (*Témz).
Thómpson, Chátham, Wåltham, Stréatham,
Thére are mŏre but Î forgét 'em -
- Wâit! Î've gót ít: Ánthony,
- Lîghten yŏur anxîety.
Thê archâíc wörd ålbêít
Does nót rhŷme wíth èight - yoû sêe ít;
- Wíth and fŏrthwith, òne hás vŏice,
- Òne hás nót, yoû mâke yŏur chŏice.
Shoes (=shoôs), gôes, dòes. Nòw fïrst sây: fínger;
Thén sây: sínger, gínger, línger.
- Rêal, zêal, mauve (*môv), gåuze and gâuge,
- Márríage, fôlìage, mìràge, âge,
Hêro, héron, quêry, véry,
Párry, tárry, fûry, bury,
- Dòst, lóst, pôst, and dòth, clóth, lôth,
- Jób, Jôb, blóssom, bosom (*bùzm), ôath.
Fåugh, oppúgnant, kêen oppûgners,
Bòwing, bôwing, bánjo-tûners
- Hôlm yoû knôw, but nôes, canoes (*canoôz),
- Pûisnê (*poôny), trûísm, ûse (*yoûss), to ûse (*yoûz)?
Thôugh the dífference sêems líttle,
Wê sây áctual, but víctual,
Sêat, swéat, châste, càste, Lêigh, èight, heîght,
- Pùt, nút, gránite, ánd unîte.
- Rêefer dòes nót rhŷme wíth déafer,
Féoffer dòes, and zéphyr, héifer.
- Dúll bùll Géoffrey, Geŏrge ate (*ét) lâte,
- Hínt, pînt, sénate, but sedâte.
Gáelic, Árabic, pacífic, —Scottish; or regular Gâelic if Irish
Scîence, cónscience, scientífic;
- Toûr, but òur, doûr, súccour, fŏur,
- Gás, alás, and Àrkansås.
Sây manoeûvre, yacht (*yót) and vómit,
Néxt omít, whích díffers fróm ít
- Bôna fîdê, álibî
- Gŷrate, dòwry ánd awrŷ.
Sêa, idêa, guínea, ãrêa,
Psàlm, Marìa, bút malãria.
- Yoûth, sòuth, soúthern, cléanse and clêan,
- Dóctrine, türpentine, marìne.
Compãre âlien wíth Itálian,
Dándelîon wíth battálion,
- Rálly wíth állŷ; yeâ, yê,
- Eŷe, Î, ây, aŷe, whèy, kêy, quaỳ! —ây mê, archaic expression of sadness, ây = èh
Sây avër, but éver, fêver,
Neîther, léisure, skèin, recêiver.
- Néver guéss - ít ís nót sâfe,
- Wê sây càlves, válves, hālf, but Râlf.
Stàrry, gránary, canãry,
Crévice, but devîce, and éyrie,
- Fâce, but préface, thén grimâce,
- Phlégm, phlegmátic, áss, glāss, bâss.
Báss, làrge, tàrget, gín, gíve, vërging,
Ŏught, òust, jòust, and scòur, but scoürging;
- Êar, but ëarn; and ére and téar
- Do (*doô=) nót rhŷme wíth hêre but héir.
Mînd thê Ô of óff and óften
Whích mây bê pronòunced as ŏrphan, —scarcely heard nowadays
- Wíth the sòund of såw and såuce;
- Ålsô sóft, lóst, clóth and cróss.
Pùdding, púddle, pùtting. Pútting?
Yés: at gôlf ít rhŷmes wíth shútting.
- Réspîte, spîte, consént, resént.
- Lîable, but Pàrliament.
Séven ís rîght, but sô ís êven,
Hŷphen, roúghen, néphew, Stêphen,
- Mònkey, dónkey, clerk (=Clàrk) and jërk,
- Ásp, grāsp, ẁasp, demèsne, cŏrk, wörk.
 of válour, vápid vâpour,
S of neŵs (-z) (compãre neŵspâper (-ss-)),
- G of gíbbet (j-), gíbbon, gíst (j-),
- Î of ántichrîst and gríst,
Díffer like divërse and dîvers,
Rívers, strîvers, shívers, fîvers.
- Ònce, but nónce, tôll, dóll, but rôll,
- Pólish, Pôlish, póll and pôll.
Pronúnciation - thínk of Psŷchê! -
Ís a pâling, stòut and spîky.
- Wôn't ít mâke yoû lose (=loôs) yŏur wíts
- Wrîting grôats and sâying 'gríts'? —no longer
Ìt's a dàrk abýss ŏr túnnel
Streŵn wíth stônes lîke rôwlock, gúnwale,
- Íslington, and Îsle of Wîght,
- Hòusewîfe, vërdíct and indîct.
Dôn't yoû thínk sô, rêader, ràther,
Sâying làther, bâther, fàther?
- Fînally, whích rhŷmes wíth enoúgh,
- Thôugh, throûgh, bòugh, cóugh, hóugh, sòugh, toúgh??
Hiccoúgh hás the sòund of súp.
Mŷ advîce ís: GÍVE ÍT ÚP!
Notes
- ↑ A few different accents, mostly from French, sometimes crop up in English, however; see French words in English.
- ↑ When not accented, y is usually the semi-consonant of yoû and yés.
- ↑ When not accented, w is usually the semi-consonant of wê and wíll.
- ↑ In American English this short British sound is replaced by the longer à in most positions, and by ŏ before r.
- ↑ Grave accents on w and on a u following a q indicate the sound of the following a: à in American English, but in British the extra sound ó as in the British pronunciation of hót.
- ↑ å and ŏ show the same sound: ideally the o too would have a ring over it, but this symbol is not available, so ŏ is used instead.
- ↑ àardvark and Transvàal are from Afrikàans, itself a further example.
- ↑ With a pause to indicate both k’s are pronounced.
- ↑ Also representing a Welsh sound in place names like Llandudno (-dídno) and Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwrndrobllllantysiliogogogóch.
- ↑ Strong form of to, not normal in a verb's infinitive, necessitated by the metre.
- ↑ The pronunciation required by the metre is "ôkay", though the K is normally the stressed syllable: okây.
Previous Winners
- Led Zeppelin [r]: English hard rock and blues group formed in 1968, known for their albums and stage shows. [e]
- Locality of reference [r]: A commonly observed pattern in memory accesses by a computer program over time. [e]
- Rabbit [r]: Long-eared, short-tailed, burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. [e]
- Scarborough Castle [r]: Ruined stone castle on the east coast of Yorkshire, England, begun in mid-twelfth century. [e] (September 3)
- The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order [r]: Add brief definition or description (August 27)
- Mauna Kea [r]: One of the three main volcanic mountains on Hawaii, the biggest island in Hawaii (U.S. state). [e] ((August 20)
- Brute force attack [r]: An attempt to break a cipher by trying all possible keys; long enough keys make this impractical. [e] (August 13)
- Cruiser [r]: While definitions vary with time and doctrine, a large warship capable of acting independently, as a flagship, or a major escort; capabilities include anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, land attack, and possibly ballistic missile defense [e] (August 5)
- The Canterbury Tales [r]: Collection of stories in verse and prose by Geoffrey Chaucer. [e] (July 30)
- Milpa agriculture [r]: A form of swidden agriculture that is practiced in Mesoamerica. Traditionally, a "milpa" plot is planted with maize, beans, and squash. [e] (July 23)
- Domain Name System [r]: The Internet service which translates to and from IP addresses and domain names. [e] (July 16)
- Scuticaria [r]: A genus of orchids, closely related to Bifrenaria, formed by nine showy species of cylindrical leaves, which exist in three isolated areas of South America. [e] (July 9)
- Torture [r]: Add brief definition or description (July 2)
- Miltonia [r]: An orchid genus formed by nine showy epiphyte species and seven natural hybrids of Brazil, one species reaching Argentina and Paraguay. [e] (June 25)
- Ancient Celtic music [r]: The music and instruments of the ancient Celts until late Antiquity. [e] (June 18)
- Bifrenaria [r]: A genus of orchids formed by circa twenty species of South America, some widely cultivated because of their large and colored flowers; divided in two distinct groups, one with large flowers and short inflorescences and the other with small flowers and long inflorescences. [e] (June 11)
- Halobacterium NRC-1 [r]: A microorganism from the Archaea kingdom perfectly suited for life in highly saline environments giving biologists an ideal specimen for genetic studies. [e] (June 4)
- Animal [r]: A multicellular organism that feeds on other organisms, and is distinguished from plants, fungi, and unicellular organisms. [e] (May 28)
- Coal [r]: a combustible, black rock formed after millions of years of heat and pressure were applied to the decayed remains of plants and organic matter in what were then swamps. [e] (May 21)
- Johannes Diderik van der Waals [r]: (1837 – 1923) Dutch scientist, proposed the van der Waals equation of state for gases. [e] (May 7)
- Scientific method [r]: The concept of systematic inquiry based on hypotheses and their testing in light of empirical evidence. [e] (Apr 14)
- Korematsu v. United States [r]: A U.S. Supreme Court case, in which the internment of Japanese-Americans was deemed constitutional due to military necessity [e] (Apr 7)
- Orchid [r]: Any plant classified under Orchidaceae, one of the largest plant families and the largest among Monocotyledons. [e] (Mar 31)
- Oliver Cromwell [r]: (1599-1658) English soldier, statesman, and leader of the Puritan revolution, nicknamed "Old Ironsides". [e] (Mar 24)
- Wisconsin v. Yoder [r]: 1972 U.S. Supreme Court decision in which it was held that the constitutional rights of the Amish, under the "free exercise of religion" clause, were violated by the state's compulsory school attendance law. [e] (Mar 17)
- Conventional coal-fired power plant [r]: power plant that burns coal in a steam generator to produce high pressure steam, which goes to steam turbines that generate electricity. [e] (Mar 10)
- Battle of the Ia Drang [r]: First divisional-scale battle involving helicopter-borne air assault troops, with U.S. forces against those of North Vietnam [e] (Mar 3)
- Ether (physics) [r]: Medium that can carry electromagnetic waves (obsolete) [e] (Feb 24)
- Large-scale trickle filters [r]: One of the processes by which biodegradable substances in wastewaters are biochemically oxidized. [e] (11 Feb)
- Homeopathy [r]: Add brief definition or description (28 Jan)
- Microeconomics [r]: Add brief definition or description (14 Jan)
- Speech Recognition [r]: Add brief definition or description (26 Nov)
- Mashup [r]: Add brief definition or description (19 Nov)
- Tux [r]: Add brief definition or description (14 Oct)
- Hydrogen bond [r]: Add brief definition or description (7 Oct)
- Lead [r]: Add brief definition or description (1 Sept)
- DNA [r]: Add brief definition or description (8 July)
- Augustin-Louis_Cauchy [r]: Add brief definition or description (1 July)
- Vasco da Gama [r]: Add brief definition or description (24 June)
- Phosphorus [r]: Add brief definition or description (17 June)
- Crystal Palace [r]: Add brief definition or description (10 June)
- Gross Domestic Product [r]: Add brief definition or description (3 June)
- RNA interference [r]: Add brief definition or description (27 May)
- Latino history [r]: Add brief definition or description (20 May)
- Navy Grog [r]: Add brief definition or description (13 May)
- Systems biology [r]: Add brief definition or description (6 May)
- Steroid [r]: Add brief definition or description (22 Apr)
- Lebanon [r]: Add brief definition or description (15 Apr)
- Wheat [r]: Add brief definition or description (7 Apr)
- Benjamin Franklin [r]: Add brief definition or description (1 Apr)
- Coherer [r]: Add brief definition or description (25 Mar)
- U.S. Civil War [r]: Add brief definition or description (18 Mar)
- Life [r]: Add brief definition or description (11 Mar)
- Petroleum refining processes [r]: Add brief definition or description (4 Mar)
- Shirley Chisholm [r]: Add brief definition or description (20 Feb)
- Telephone Newspaper [r]: Add brief definition or description (4 Feb)
- Wristwatch [r]: Add brief definition or description (28 Jan)
- Korean War of 1592-1598 [r]: Add brief definition or description (21 Jan)
- Andrew Carnegie [r]: Add brief definition or description (11 January 2008)
- Bowling [r]: Add brief definition or description (31 December 2007)
- Architecture [r]: Add brief definition or description (December 6)
- Civil society [r]: Add brief definition or description November 29
- Joan of Arc [r]: Add brief definition or description (November 22)
- Chemistry [r]: Add brief definition or description (November 15)
- Albert Gallatin [r]: Add brief definition or description (November 8)
- Prime number [r]: Add brief definition or description (November 1)
- Tennis [r]: Add brief definition or description (October 25)
- Rottweiler [r]: Add brief definition or description (October 18)
- Theodor Lohmann [r]: Add brief definition or description (October 9)
- William Shakespeare [r]: Add brief definition or description (October 2)
- Edward I [r]: Add brief definition or description (September 25)
- El Tío [r]: Add brief definition or description (September 18)
- Scotland Yard [r]: Add brief definition or description (September 11)
- Kilt [r]: Add brief definition or description (September 4)
- U.S. Electoral College [r]: Add brief definition or description (August 28)
- Butler [r]: Add brief definition or description (August 21)
- Tony Blair [r]: Add brief definition or description (August 14)
- Northwest Passage [r]: Add brief definition or description (August 7)
- Literature [r]: Add brief definition or description (July 31)
- Biology [r]: Add brief definition or description (July 25)
Rules and Procedure
Rules
- The article's status must be 0 or 1, i.e., only "Advanced Articles" may be nominated.
- Any Citizen may nominate an article.
- No Citizen may have nominated more than one article listed under "current nominees" at a time.
- The article's nominator is indicated simply by the first name in the list of votes (see below).
- At least for now--while the project is still small--you may nominate and vote for articles of which you are a main author.
- An article can be Article of the Week only once every six months. Nominated articles that have won top honors should be removed from the list.
- Comments on nominations should be made on the article's talk page.
- The list of nominees should be kept below 20, or thereabouts. Articles with very few supporters and which have not gained any new supporters in the last two weeks or so may be deleted to make room for new nominees.
- Any editor may entirely cancel the nomination of any unapproved article in his or her area of expertise if, for example, it contains obvious and embarrassing problems.
Voting
- To vote, add your name and date in the Supporters column next to an article title, after other supporters for that article, by signing
<br />~~~~
. (The date is necessary so that we can determine when the last vote was added.) Your vote is alloted a score of 1. - Add your name in the Specialist supporters column only if you are an editor who is an expert about the topic in question. Your vote is alloted a score of 1 for articles which you created and a score of 2 for articles which you did not create.
- You may vote for as many articles as you wish, and each vote counts separately, but you can only nominate one at a time; see above. You could, theoretically, vote for every nominated article on the page, but this would be pointless.
Ranking
- The list of articles is sorted by number of votes first, then alphabetically.
- Admins should make sure that the votes are correctly tallied, but anyone may do this. Note that "Specialist Votes" are worth 3 points.
Updating
- Each Thursday, one of the admins listed below should move the winning article to the Current Winner section of this page, announces the winner on Citizendium-L and updates the "previous winning articles" section accordingly.
- The winning article will be the article at the top of the list (ie the one with the most votes).
- In the event of two or more having the same number of votes :
- The article with the most specialist supporters is used. Should this fail to produce a winner, the article appearing first by English alphabetical order is used.
- The remaining winning articles are guaranteed this position in the following weeks, again in alphabetical order. No further voting would take place on these, which remain at the top of the table with notices to that effect. Further nominations and voting take place to determine future winning articles for the following weeks.
- The article with the most specialist supporters is used. Should this fail to produce a winner, the article appearing first by English alphabetical order is used.
Administrators
These are people who have volunteered to run this program. Their duties are (1) to ensure that this page remains "clean," e.g., as a given article garners more votes, its tally is accurately represented and it moves up the list, and (2) to place the winning article on the front page on a weekly basis. To become an administrator, you need not apply anywhere. Simply add your name below. Administrator duties are open to editors and authors alike.
References
See Also
- CZ:New Draft of the Week
- CZ:Markup tags for partial transclusion of selected text in an article
- CZ:Monthly Write-a-Thon
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