# orthography

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɔːˈθɒɡɹəfi/ · frequency rank #48,396

## Definitions
1. A method of representing a language or the sounds of language by written symbols; spelling.
2. A set of conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, capitalization, emphasis, hyphenation, punctuation, and word breaks.
3. The aspect of language study concerned with letters and their sequences in words; the study of spelling.
4. Correct spelling according to established usage; also (obsolete) pronunciation according to the spelling of a word.
5. A form of projection used to represent three-dimensional objects in two dimensions, in which all the projection lines are orthogonal or perpendicular to the projection plane; an orthographic projection, especially when used to draw an elevation, vertical projection, etc., of a building; also (obsolete) a drawing made in this way.
6. Synonym of orthographer (“someone knowledgeable in spelling rules”).

## Etymology
The noun is derived from Late Middle English ortografie, ortographie (“spelling”) [and other forms], and then either:
* from Anglo-Norman ortografie, Middle French orthographie, ortografie, ortographie (“correct spelling; orthographic projection”) (compare Old French ortografie; modern French orthographe (“spelling, orthography”), orthographie (“orthographic project, orthography”)); or
* from their etymon Latin orthographia (“correct spelling; building elevation”), from Koine Greek ὀρθογραφία (orthographía, “correct spelling”), from Ancient Greek ορθο- (ortho-, prefix meaning ‘right, proper; upright’) (from ὀρθός (orthós, “straight; erect, upright; correct, true”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃erdʰ- (“to grow, increase; high; upright”)) + -γραφίᾱ (-graphíā, suffix meaning ‘drawing; writing’) (from γρᾰ́φω (grắphō, “to cut into, scratch; to write”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- (“to carve”)).
The English word is analyzable as ortho- (prefix meaning ‘proper, right; straight’) + -graphy (suffix denoting something written or otherwise represented in a specified manner, or about a specified subject). The verb is derived from the noun. First use appears before c. 1460.
Cognates
* Catalan ortografia
* Italian ortografia
* Portuguese ortografia, orthografia (obsolete)
* Spanish ortografía

## Common misspellings (18)
`orhtography`, `orrthography`, `orthgoraphy`, `orthhography`, `orthogarphy`, `orthoggraphy`, `orthograhpy`, `orthographhy`, `orthographyy`, `orthograpphy`, `orthograpyh`, `orthogrpahy`, `orthogrraphy`, `orthorgaphy`, `ortohgraphy`, `ortthography`, `otrhography`, `rothography`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/orthography