ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION In English-speaking countries, spelling is not just a set of rules for writing down words: it is a cultural preoccupation. This is clear not only from the range of apparatus which is provided to help, or force, writers to ‘spell it correctly’ – for example, dictionaries and spell-checking software – but also from the way that spelling is so explicitly part of the culture of literacy. Spelling tests are the norm at schools in Britain, the USA and elsewhere. In the USA, Spelling Bees – a type of competition where the contestants are required to spell words – are organised at all levels from individual schools up to nationally. In these and other countries, ‘hard’ spellings are material for quiz questions, while few of us reach adulthood without being asked by a friend or colleague: ‘how do you spell . . . ?’
