Can English Ever Be Tamed? The Impossible Quest for Spelling Reform

Why So Many Tried—and Failed—to Make English Spelling Logical

English spelling is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Why does 'colonel' sound nothing like it’s spelled? Why does 'ough' have so many pronunciations? Bill Bryson’s 'The Mother Tongue' digs into the tangled roots of English spelling and the many attempts to straighten them out. From the Great Vowel Shift to the arrival of the printing press, historical quirks have frozen spellings while pronunciations changed.

Many have tried to fix English spelling. Benjamin Franklin invented a new alphabet; George Bernard Shaw offered prize money for a logical system. But English is spoken by billions, each with their own dialect and tradition. No one can agree on what to change, or how. The result is a language full of surprises—sometimes frustrating, always fascinating.

For learners, this can be daunting. But Bryson encourages us to see the beauty in the chaos. Each odd spelling tells a story of history, migration, and creativity. The messiness of English is a reminder that language is alive, always changing, and never fully tamed. Curious about the wild world of English spelling? Check out Bryson’s book and join the debate on linguistics forums and book review sites. 1 2 4