CHAPTER 46

Using f, ff, ph, gh

The f sound can be produced in four different ways, but by far the most common is the single f, which

can be found at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word. Only about sixty words end in a
single f. Many of the nouns among them will change the f to ve when made into a plural.

Spelling rule #1: A single f is used at the beginning of a word:

(^) Spelling rule #2: A single f is used when it follows a long vowel sound:
(^) Spelling rule #3: A single f is used when it is preceded by a consonant:
(^) Spelling rule #4: The double f is used after a short vowel sound. These words are usually single
syllable words. In multi-syllable words, the double f is always preceded by a short vowel sound.
(^) Note that no commonly used English word starts with a double f.
A single f may occasionally follow a short vowel sound when the f is followed by a consonant. These
words will usually be compounds or the f will be followed by the letter t.
(^) Anomalies include of, if, chef, clef, and pilaf.
There are two other ways to produce the f sound. We can use gh or ph. The gh digraph is the least
common of the f sounds, but, unfortunately, it is attached to some very popular words:
(^) Most of these very old words did not originally have this gh ending. All but one were spelled with a
simple h and were pronounced rather like the Scottish loch or the Irish lough.
(^) While the British still cling to draught and draughty, in North America we have long ago switched to
draft and drafty. Similarly, while they spell it slough and pronounce it to rhyme with cow, we are in the
process of switching to slue and sluff, depending on how the word is used.
As for the other words, their days are numbered. At the present time no dictionary contains the words
tuff, coff, or laff. but they have already made their debut in comic strips, colloquial writing, advertising,
and other light or humorous pieces. It is inevitable that these more logical and phonetically correct
spellings will eventually replace the archaic, anachronistic forms.