heterography

[ het-uh-rog-ruh-fee ]

noun

1. spelling different from that in current use.
2. the use of the same letter or combination of letters to represent different sounds, as, in English, the use of s in sit and easy.

heterography

/ ˌhɛtərəʊˈɡræfɪk; ˌhɛtəˈrɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. the phenomenon of different letters or sequences of letters representing the same sound in different words, as for example -ight and -ite in blight and bite
2. any writing system in which this phenomenon occurs

Derived Forms

• heterographic, adjective

Other Words From

• het·er·o·graph·ic [het-er-, uh, -, graf, -ik], heter·o·graphi·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of heterography¹

First recorded in 1775–85; hetero- + -graphy

Example Sentences

I corrected his heterography; and we confounded the tricks of the evil ones.

From Project Gutenberg