Spelling Timeline

This is my, Hurlebatte's, attempt at following the evolution of English spelling. Do not take it as authoritative or fully accurate. Also, check out the discussion tab to see some attestations.

The Writ
600-1066

The English alphabet consists of the following letters: Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Rr Ss Tt Uu Xx Yy Þþ Ðð Ƿƿ Ææ.


 * Digraphs include: ⟨cg⟩, ⟨gc⟩, and ⟨gg⟩ for /dʒ/; ⟨sc⟩ for /ʃ/; ⟨ea⟩ for /æɑ/; ⟨uu⟩ for /w/; ⟨th⟩ for /θ/; ⟨hƿ⟩ for /ʍ/; ⟨ch⟩ for /x/.
 * Sometimes ⟨u⟩, ⟨uu⟩, or ⟨w⟩ is written instead of ⟨ƿ⟩.
 * ⟨k⟩ sometimes shows up to fight ambiguity between /tʃ/ and /k/.
 * ⟨þ⟩ and ⟨ð⟩ are used interchangeably.
 * ⟨z⟩ and ⟨q⟩ are very rare. ⟨z⟩ can sometimes be found in foreign names like Zenodotus {MS. Ashmole 328}.
 * ⟨e⟩ and ⟨i⟩ are occasionally inserted after ⟨c⟩ and ⟨g⟩ when writers want to make it clear their values are /tʃ/ and /j/ and not /k/ and /g/. For example, giul can be found as a spelling for /jul/ (Yule).

1066-1199

The Norman Invasion occurs, French begins to influence English orthography.


 * In the Peterborough Chronicle a switch in handwriting from Insular to Carolingian happens on 88v.


 * ⟨gg⟩ becomes more popular than ⟨cg⟩.


 * The Ormulum uses: ⟨ch⟩ for /tʃ/, ⟨sk⟩ for /sk/; ⟨sh⟩ for /ʃ/; ⟨ƿh⟩ for /ʍ/; Carolingian ⟨g⟩ for /g/; ⟨ȝh⟩ for [ɣ]; ⟨ȝȝ⟩ for /dʒ/.


 * The Carolingian style of writing ⟨g⟩ is borrowed from France. The old Insular ⟨g⟩ becomes the new letter ⟨ȝ⟩, called yough. ⟨ȝ⟩ no longer stands for /g/, as this job now belongs to the Carolingian ⟨g⟩.


 * By now /y/ has merged into /i/. This leads to ⟨y⟩ being used interchangeably with ⟨i⟩. This may be the basis for ⟨y⟩ later taking on /j/. It seems that in a few cases surviving instances of /y/ get respelled as ⟨u⟩ in the French manner, resulting in variant spellings like burthen and brugge as opposed to birthen and brigge.


 * ⟨u⟩ begins showing up with the value of /v/ shortly after 1066 {BL Cotton Tiberius A.xiii, 116v}.


 * ⟨hr⟩ struggles to survive this period, usually becoming ⟨r⟩.


 * ⟨hl⟩ often becomes ⟨l⟩.

1200s

By this century the Normans have been replaced on the throne by the Angevins. French influence continues, though not necessarily Norman French.


 * /ʃ/ is spelled ⟨sc⟩, ⟨sch⟩, ⟨sh⟩, ⟨ss⟩, ⟨s⟩.


 * ⟨ou⟩ is borrowed from French and becomes a very popular spelling for /uː/, which beforehand was written ⟨u⟩, ⟨ue⟩, and ⟨uCe⟩.


 * ⟨ue⟩ and ⟨uCe⟩ are repurposed to stand for French /y/. This French /y/ seems to have been substituted by Englishmen for something along the lines of [ɛu], a native English diphthong. This French /y/ and the native [ɛu] would both eventually be pronounced as /ju/. Because the borrowed French /y/ was realised as something like [ɛu], native English words with [ɛu] would sometimes be respelled with ⟨ue⟩ or ⟨uCe⟩, which is why clue is not spelled clew today.


 * ⟨ð⟩ falls out of wide use by the end of the century.


 * The distinction between [x] and [ɣ] either collapses or people stop caring. [x] had usually been written ⟨h⟩ (more rarely ⟨ch⟩), and [ɣ] had usually been written ⟨ȝ⟩, but ⟨ȝ⟩ ends up being the normal way of writing both. Eventually ⟨ȝh⟩ becomes popular, perhaps from French influence of some kind.


 * ⟨æ⟩ seems to drop out of use by the end of this century. Its short value merged with ⟨a⟩, while its long value began to be written ⟨ea⟩. Contrary to a claim made in The History of English Spelling, by Upward & Davidson, ⟨ea⟩ was probably not "borrowed by French scribes from Old English", as it survived into the 1100s (Laud Manuscript) and 1200s in words like head.
 * ⟨hw⟩ has essentially been fully replaced with ⟨wh⟩ by the end of this century.


 * ⟨y⟩ for /j/ can be found in at least one manuscript {*St.Marg.(2) (Trin-C B.14.39)}.


 * ⟨hl⟩ fully dies off?


 * Vowel breaking leads to spellings like ⟨ou⟩ and ⟨ei⟩ in words like dough and height.

1300s

The English alphabet generally consists of the following letters: Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Xx Yy Þþ.

Jj, Vv, and Ww are slowly emerging as fullfledged letters?


 * ⟨uCe⟩ can still be found standing for /uː/, though ⟨ou⟩ is more popular.


 * ⟨ck⟩ rises as a popular spelling.


 * ⟨gh⟩ appears, apparently modelled on ⟨ȝh⟩, and taking the job of /x/.


 * ⟨y⟩ begins to be a popular alternative to ⟨ȝ⟩ for making /j/.


 * By the end of this century ⟨ȝ⟩ has lost much ground to ⟨y⟩ and ⟨gh⟩.


 * Loanwords from French with initial /dʒ/ can be found written with ⟨i⟩, ⟨ih⟩, and ⟨g⟩. Eventually ⟨j⟩ would be used for /dʒ/ instead of ⟨i⟩ and ⟨ih⟩.


 * ⟨dg⟩ shows up in at least one manuscript {Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)5.123}


 * ⟨ð⟩ is rare and seems to die in this century.


 * ⟨wl⟩ dies off and becomes ⟨l⟩.


 * After a long period of disuse, ⟨th⟩ begins popping up around the end of this century.

1400s


 * Continuing a trend that began in the second half of the 1300s, ⟨th⟩ continues to rise in popularity, even in manuscripts like Harley MS 682 where ⟨þ⟩ and ⟨y⟩ still had distinct shapes. Printing presses came later, so they did not cause this.


 * Harley MS 682 uses ⟨gh⟩ dozens of times, but ⟨ȝ⟩ only twice. The manuscript contains no ⟨z⟩, implying that the writer did not avoid ⟨ȝ⟩ on account of it looking too much like ⟨z⟩.


 * ⟨ȝh⟩ is used in a few manuscripts for /j/, but the common use of ⟨ȝh⟩ is for /x/.


 * ⟨x⟩ is used by some writers for /ʃ/.


 * ⟨h⟩ can still be found standing for /x/, though rarely.


 * ⟨dg⟩ becomes more popular, though ⟨gg⟩ still seems dominant.

1500s


 * By the end of this century, spellings like bed have mostly replaced spellings like bedde?


 * ⟨dg⟩ becomes more common than ⟨gg⟩?


 * ⟨oo⟩ and ⟨ee⟩ gain some popularity.


 * ⟨oa⟩ gains some popularity, leading to spellings like boat and goat where English previously had bote and gote.