the predictable spellings that can be accepted as alternative spellings in dictionaries until usage determines public preference. The first principle for present spellers can be to omit surplus letters in words that serve no purpose to represent meaning or pronunciation, and can often mislead. This streamlining trend is already occurring, especially in text messaging. The English spelling reform based on Interspel envisages an International English Spelling Commission to monitor research and authorize testing and implementation of findings. Consistency principles Summary of the principles for making English spelling more consistent, as applied in the experimental form Interspel: 1. Retain the spelling of the most common hundred words, which make up about half of everyday text. 31 of these have irregular spelling: all, almost, always, among, are, come, some, could, should, would, half, know, of, off, one, only, once, other, pull, push, put, as, was, what, want, who, why, and international word endings -ion/-tion/-ssion plus -zion, as in question, passion, vizion. 2. Regard spelling as a standardized conventionalized representation of the language (not merely its sounds), set out as in formal speech with minimal slurring. 3. Apply the alphabetic principle of systematic sound-symbol correspondence, including regularizing current spelling patterns for final vowels, as in pity, may, be, hi-fi, go, emu, spa, her, hair, for, saw, cow, boy, too. The primary vowels letters ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, and ‘u’ are used to spell both 'long' and 'short' vowels, distinguishing long vowels as necessary by a diacritic (grave accent) as in national/nàtion, repetition/repèt, finish/fìnal, consolàtion/consòl, and consumtion/consùmer. The remaining vowel sounds are spelled as in car, perturb (ur = stressed, er = unstressed), hair, fort, taut, round, boil, boot, and, still unsolved, spelling for the vowel sound with no spelling of its own, as in book (perhaps as buuk). Sequences of vowels can then be represented very simply in Interspel. Accents for learners are optional. 'Spelling for reading' vowel spellings are included below: a – bazaar, pàella, dàis, (paid), càos, taut, e – idèa, (year), (meet), bèing, crèol, hidèus i – dìal, dìet, flìing, ìota, pìus o – òasis, (boat), pòet, gòing, (boil), Zoo/zòolojy, out u – dùal, sùet, flùid, dùo, inocùus. Doubled consonants have only three purposes: to indicate irregular stress; rr for short vowels as in carrot and current, and possibly final /ss/ for nouns. 4. This alphabetic base that relates letters to English speech sounds is modified with morphemic principles that