Grammar

Question

HiWhy in English language writing and pronunciation are different and not the same?

Blue Jay · Accepted Answer

There are various reasons for this. In some cases the word was pronounced differently in different dialects, and the version that supplied the spelling was not the one that became the standard for speech. In some cases the pronunciation has changed over time, but the spelling has remained the same. English contains words from several other languages, and in some cases the spelling reflects the spelling of the word in the original language, even where the pronunciation is different or the spelling conventions of the other language are different.
Over the years, many people have suggested that English spelling should be revised to reflect how words are pronounced, but it would be difficult to do, so it will probably not happen. Even if it were attempted, it probably would not make it simpler, because there are so many sounds in use. Also, there remain different dialects in English, so a word is not necessarily pronounced the same by all speakers.

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