Why is English so confusing?

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Arika Okrent |

TED-Ed

• May 2024

Spelling reformers have been advocating for changes to make English spelling more intuitive and less irregular. One example of its messiness: take the “g-h” sound from “enough,” the “o” sound from “women” and the “t-i” sound from “action,” and you could argue that “g-h-o-t-i” spells “fish.” So, how did English get like this? Arika Okrent explores the complexity of English spelling conventions. [Directed by Emily Howells, Aaron Brady, narrated by Jack Cutmore-Scott, music by Aaron Brady].