Take a look at the following English words: butcher, squirrel, mortgage, and choir. Does something seem off about them? At one point in time, the words move and love rhymed. So did blood, good, and ...

Detroit News, December 1906. Roosevelt sits stunned in a boxing ring after losing his match with the dictionary. Stars flutter around his head like thought bubbles: “Kissed not kist,” “though not tho, ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The Church publishes the Monitor ...

If you're a kid learning how to write, or an adult speaker of a language with sensible spelling, English spelling can seem like a cruel prank. And even if you're a completely literate adult native ...

Understanding the difference between British and American English can save ESL learners from confusion. These two styles may seem similar, but small changes in spelling, vocabulary, and pronunciation ...

Spellers compete in The Denver Post 72nd Annual Colorado State Spelling Bee at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver on Mar. 10, 2012. Spellers compete in The Denver Post 72nd Annual Colorado State ...

“But here’s the thing,” wrote David Shariatmadari in The Guardian a couple of weeks ago. “English orthography makes no sense.” No sense? I know it is exaggeration for the sake of humor (no quibble ...

My 11-year-old student sighs. How can the same letters make so many different sounds? We are looking at the letter combination “ough”, which can be read in seven different ways: “through”, “thorough”, ...