Scots Orthography
Scots Spelling
The spellings used here are based on
frequently used non-regional Traditional Scots.
These are based on an analysis of 18th and 19th century
spelling conventions, historical practice and etymology,
applied consistently (see Aw
Ae Wey (1.43 MB)).
They can to the most part, be read and pronounced in any
Scots dialect, with the possible exception of Insular
Scots. On the whole the spellings used can be found in
the Concise Scots Dictionary published by the SNDA. The
following explains the spelling conventions used when
choosing among and adapting the spelling variants in the
Concise Scots Dictionary. Conventions used generally follow
the spellings in the Scots School Dictionary (SSD) in
so far as they are consistent or cross-dialect. The SSD
is also published by the SNDA.
Some spellings of course don't always
adhere to the 'rules' explained here. Those are considered
'established spellings' because dictionaries usually have
only one entry for the word in question.
Words
in Scots are often divided into three groups:
- Shared
vocabulary consists of words which are both common to English and Scots
(and other languages as well), often spelled the same in both languages.
Many people mistakenly refer to these words as 'English Words' - this
is the result of an anglocentric view of the world. The German language
uses all, Arm, Dame, Finger, Hand
and Land these words are common to both English and German.
- Close
cognates are words which are common to English and Scots (and other
languages as well), but which are pronounced (and spelled) differently
in Scots i.e. aw, airm, and haund
etc.
- Words
particular to Scots. Many people refer to these as 'Scots words', an
by implication assume the words in the previous groups are somehow not
'Scots words'. This is based on the false assumption that anything that
occurs in English can't be Scots. The fact is that all the words in
these groups are Scots words whether they occur in other languages or
not.
Some words which only have a slightly
different pronunciation in Scots than in Scottish English
(usually the vowel sound), generally have same the spelling
as in English. Do not assume that because a word is spelled
the same as in English it is pronounced as such.
Base forms of words are usually spelled phonemically - not in a one-letter
to one-sound manner but in a more graphemically economic manner. In this
system position, environment and overt markers enable the same letter
or cluster of letters to perform several distinct functions. Several letters
or letter clusters may also represent the same sound.
Compounds and derivatives tend to be spelled morphemically, the established
grapheme bases are usually retained regardless of the phonemic alterations
involved. The assumption being that the reader knows the phonemic alterations
that accompany the formation of derivatives and inflections. This may
be a hindrance to learning Scots pronunciation from the spellings, but
Scots spelling is geared for the convenience of native speakers, not for
the learner.
Some words are spelled the same as in
English but have a different pronunciation in Scots e.g.
aunt(ie), swap, want and wash
etc. <a(u)> as in /a/.
Bull, full v. and pull etc. <u>
/ʌ/. Bind,
find and wind v. etc. <i> /ɪ/.
(Note in these words the final <d> is often
silent.)
Words that sound the same in Scots as
in Scottish English usually retain the same spelling e.g.
come, door, for, hear, some,
the, tongue and young etc., except
where a Scots spelling has become established or the words
have a different 'stressed' form, e.g. A (I), an
(and), ma (my), thare and thaim etc.
In some words the spellings may differ
slightly in order to accommodate the Scots pronunciation,
e.g. lenth and strenth etc.
Short vowels are usually written with:
A final consonant or consonants i.e. buff, bak,
ban, lib, licht, seck,
tint, wat and wid etc.
Two consonants followed by <e> i.e. birse,
carse, dulse, ense, girse,
grilse, mense, merse and winze
etc.
The spelling <a> for the vowel sound in
words like aff, at, back,
bak, bap, lat,
rax, tak, tap,
wad, wash and watch
etc.
The spelling <a> is usually used
finally for the vowel sound in words like awa,
twa and wha etc.
The
spelling <e> for the vowel sound in words like ken,
gled, ferm and yett etc.
The spelling <i> for the short vowel
in words like bird, brig,
find, kist, shilpit,
whisper, will, wir,
wird, wirm, wirthy
and wittins etc.
The pronunciation often varies between /ɪ/
and /ʌ/ especially
after <w> and <wh>.
/æ/ also
occurs in Ulster before voiceless sounds or clusters
containing them.
Some writers spell some of the above words with <u>.
The spelling <u> for
the vowel sound in words like dubs, bull,
drumly hunder and pull
etc.
Schwa /ə/
may be represented by <a, e, i,
o> or <u> in unstressed positions
i.e. aboot, the, oxter,
loanin, bannock and smeddum.
Long vowels are usually written with:
The absence of a following consonant i.e. <e>
in be and we /i(:)/,
also /e(:)/, <i>
in wi /i(:)/
also /ɪ/ and
/ə/. The <y>
in by is often pronounced /ɪ/,
/i/ and /e/
(especially in the West and Ulster) also occur. <o>
in jo and no is usually pronounced /o(:)/.
A single consonant followed by <e> i.e. bane,
fere, bode and hure etc.
Two letters <au, aw, ae, ai,
ay, ea, ee, ei, ie,
oa, oo, ou> i.e. faw, glaur,
snaw, brae, bairn, day, fear,
weet, dreich, bield, gloam,
hoose and broun etc. and very rarely <aa>
in, for example, haar.
The
spelling <e(Consonant)e> is usually
always pronounced /i(:)/
e.g. here and fere etc.
The final lexical <e> in verbs preventing homographs
of plural nouns in brouse - brous, please
- pleas, tease - teas etc.
The spelling <u(consonant)e> for
the vowel sound /u(:)/
in words where the spelling is established e.g. dule
and hure etc.
The spelling <aw> is usually used
where English cognates have <all>, giving:
aw, awbody, baw,
caw and haw etc.
Some writers use <aa> instead of <aw>.
The spelling <au> is usually
used initially and medially, giving: auld, cauld,
caunle, draucht, haund, laund,
saund and wauken etc.
The cluster <auld> is often pronounced
/ʌul/ in Ulster.
Note laund has an unstressed vowel in compounds
and is spelled land e.g. hieland and Scotland
etc.
The spelling <aw> is usually used finally,
giving: braw, draw, gnaw, law,
maw, saw, and claw etc.
A few exceptions exist e.g. bawbie and bawsant.
The
spellings <ae>, <ai>, <a(consonant)e>,
for the monothongal vowel sound in words like brae, hain,
and hame etc.
The
spelling <ae> is usually used initially and finally,
and occasionally medially, giving: ae, frae,
sae, strae and faem etc.
The spelling <ai> is usually
used initially and medially . The pronunciation often
varies between /e(:)/
and /ɛ/, especially
before /r/, giving:
aiple, airm, bairn, braith,
cairt, dairn, daith, jaiket,
pairt, sair, shairp, stairt
and wairm etc.
The digraph <ea> is used
in common with many English cognates. Though in English
the spelling represents two pronunciations /i(:)/
as in "meat" and /ɛ/
as in "head".
In Scots the <ea> is usually pronounced either
/i(:)/ or /e(:)/
depending on the lexeme or dialect,
in words like beard, beast, creash,
ease, east, eat, fear, gear,
heap, lead v., meal, meat,
read, sea and tea etc., where /e(:)/
is usually prevalent in words of Romance origin.
The pronunciation /ɛ/
may occur before /r/
in words like early, earn, hearth,
learn and pearl etc.
Scots also uses the traditional digraph
<ei> to represent the /i(:)/
or /e(:)/ pronunciations.
Especially where English cognates are spelled using <ea>
as in English "head".
Scots <ei> is used initially and medially
giving: eild, eith, beir, breid,
breinge, deid, deif, dreid,
heid, leid n., meidae, peir,
pleisur, seicont, sweir, teir
v. and weir etc.
Except medially before <v> and <ld>,
and in shared words where <ie> is
used giving: bield , chield,
elieven, scrieve, sieven, shield
and shielin etc.
The digraph <ei> before
/x/ is usually pronounced
/i/ in all dialects.
Giving: dreich, heich, skeich and
wheich etc.
A number of words have established <ei>
and <ie> spellings, these words are usually
always pronounced with /i(:)/.
For example: chief, deil, lief, neir, neist, nieve,
scrieve and speir.
 Some
writers may use the spelling <ei>
in all of the above.
The spelling <ea> is retained in words
pronounced the same in Scots and Scottish English e.g.
read (past tense). Some writers use <e>
for this sound in all words.
The digraph <ee> is pronounced
/i(:)/ in all Scots
dialects.
Freend, permeesion, wee, freet, neebour,
weel, weet and een etc. Except in
Southern Scots where root final it is /əi/.
The
spelling <ee> is retained in words pronounced the
same in Scots and Scottish English. e.g. creep, feel
and seek etc.
Some writers use the spelling <ee> /i(:)/
while others use <ei> or <ie>
for this sound in all words.
Other writers use a mixture of <ee>, <ei>
and <ie>.
 The
traditional terminal digraph <ie>
is used for diminutives giving: grannie,
laddie, lassie, shoppie
and wifie etc.
<ie> and <y>
are used for forming adjectives, <ie> tends
to be used in particularly Scots words and <y>
in words the same or similar to English. <y>
is usually used for adverbial endings giving: reekie,
pernicketie, sairy, stany, stourie,
brawly, bonnily, cannie, cannily,
feckly, fully, geyly, likely,
specially, sairly, shuirly and uncoly
etc.
The pronunciation is usually /e/
in Central Scots dialects, but /i/
and /ɪ/ also
occur. In Northern dialects and East Perthshire a variation
of /i/ and /ɪ/
occurs, where /i/
occurs when the preceding vowel is /i/
or /əi/, or
the preceding consonant is /b,
d, ð, g, v, ʒ/
or /z/. Otherwise
/ɪ/.
The internal inconsistency caused
by unpredictably using <ie> or<y>
will be found on this site. Some writers simply use one
or the other.
When forming the participle from verbs ending in <ie>
the <ie> changes to <y>
giving cairyin and coueryin etc.
<ie> is used at the end of
many other words, especially nouns. e.g. cronie,
gie and hie etc.
For the sake of orthographic consistency many writes
use either <ie> or <y>
in all these words.
<o> and <oa> have
merged to /o/ in
many dialects but some retain the distinction between
/ɔ/ and /o/.
In Mid Northern Scots /wəi/
may occur before /t/
e.g. coat and gote etc.
The spelling <oo>
is used for the vowel sound in words like hoose,
aboot and soond in order to
avoid confusing <ou> with the English
pronunciation.
The traditional Scots spelling <ou>
is used in all other words where confusion with the English
pronunciation is unlikely. Some writers use either <ou>
or <oo> for this sound in all words.
The digraph <ou> is nearly
always pronounced /u(:)/
in Scots, except in Southern Scots, when final, it is
pronounced /ʌu/.
The
spelling <ui> for the vowel sound in words like guid,
ruif, tuim, spuin, puir,
juist and truith etc.
Diphthongs are usually written with two
letters <ey, eu, oi, oy,
ow(e)> and <y(e)>
etc.
The spelling <i(consonant)e>
for the diphthong in words pronounced similarly in Scots
and Scottish English e.g. wife, knife,
thrice and lice etc. Particularly
Scots words are often spelled with the traditional Scots
<y(consonant)e> e.g.
dyke, fyle, syne
and tyne etc.
The traditional spelling <y> is used
in words like wynd and also in mynd
(mind) and kynd (kind) in order to indicate
the Scots pronunciation difference from words like find
and bind etc. - rhyme with 'pinn(ed)'.
Some writers use <y(consonant)e>
in all words with this diphthong. 
The spellings <y>, <ye>, <ey>
are used for the diphthong in words like aye (always),
ay (yes) and kye etc.
The spelling <ey> represents this sound initially
and finally in words like eydent, eyster,
cley, gey and wey etc. 
The spelling <eu> in words like beuk,
deuk, eneuch, teuch, leuk,
teug, teuk, neuk and heuch
etc.
Where a word begins or ends with this diphthong <ew>
is used, giving: ewest, new and tew
etc.
 The
spellings <ow> and <owe>
(finally) for the diphthong in words like growe,
growthe, thowe, howf,
dowy, fowk, lowp
and cowp etc.
The diphthong <ow> in some of these
words, especially before <k>, may
be vocalised to /o/
e.g. bowk, fowk and yowk
etc.
As
in English, in disyllabic words where the first syllable is stressed,
the consonant following the single vowel in the first syllable is doubled
giving blatter, watter, verra,
fremmit, biggit, dizzen, donnert
and butter etc.
The following letters are not doubled. <h, j, q, v, w, x,>
and <y>.
Many
verbs that end with a single consonant letter double it in the present
and past participles, and past tense, as do some adjectives for the comparative
and superlative i.e. drap - drappin -drappit,
het - hetter - hettest.
<f, l, s> and
<z> are usually doubled after short vowels
i.e. baff, nyaff, dwall, mell,
bass, bress and bizz etc.
Double
consonants are avoided where simple differences to English spelling exist.
| aiple |
apple |
mairy |
marry |
| cairy |
carry |
mainer |
manner |
| haimer |
hammer |
maiter |
matter |
| jaiket |
jacket |
|
|
Consonants are not usually doubled after
long vowels and diphthongs i.e. ail, kail,
gean, neep, heid, loan, heuk,
stale and tyne etc.
The internal consonant in the past tense
and past perfect of verbs like sell, tell,
spell, kill and coff
become single giving selt, telt,
spelt, kilt and coft etc.
The spelling <ch> for /x/
in words like loch, dreich, brocht
and nicht, except initially where it usually represents
/ʧ/ in words
like chield, cheetie and chowk or
where it follows <r> in words like airch.
Otherwise <tch> is usually used e.g. catch
and pootch etc.
The cluster <nch> is always pronounced /nʃ/
giving: brainch, clinch, dunch, hainch,
inch, French, painch etc.
The spelling <c> for /s/
is usually used before the letters <e> and
<i>. Such words are generally of Romance
origin, giving: censor, ceevil, cedent,
ceil and mediciner etc.
Initial <c> for /k/
is usually used:
Before vowels, spelled <a>,
<ai>, <au>, <aw>,
<o>, <oa>, <oo>,
<ou> and <u>,
before the vowel sound (a few exceptions) spelled <ui>,
before the diphthong spelled <ow>, <owe>,
before <l> and <r>,
giving caw, caw, caddie, carle,
caird, cairt, cleid, creash,
cou, cloot, croun, coff, corrupt,
cosie, coar, cruldge, cushat,
cowp, cowt, cley, cryne, cuist
and cuit etc.
Initial
<k> is usually used:
Before
the vowels spelled <e> and <ei>,
<ee> and <ea>.
A few exceptions with the vowels spelled <ai>
and <ae>, and <ui> exist,
before the diphthong spelled <i(consonant)e>
and <y(consonant)e>,
before <n>,
giving keek, keeng, kebbock, Keith,
kelter, ken, kye, kyte, kythe,
kail, kaim and knife etc.
Initial <sc> for /sk/
is usually used:
Before the vowels, spelled <a>,
<au>, <aw>, <oo>,
<ou>, <o>, <oa>,
<u> and <ui>,
before the diphthong spelled <ow> and <owe>,
before <l> and <r>,
giving scantlins, sclaff, sclate,
scaud, scaur, scaw, sclent,
scone, scoor, scowe, scowth,
scunner, scrieve and scuip etc.
Initial
<sk> is usually used:
Before vowels spelled <ai>, <ae>
and <a(consonant)e>,
before the diphthong spelled <i(consonant)e>
and <y(consonant)e>,
giving skail, skaith, skelf, skelp,
skeel, skirl, skive, skyme
and skite etc.
The terminal <ck> is used
at the end of words like beck, feck, and
puddock etc.
The terminal <le> is used
in words like muckle, traivel, soople
and trauchle. This should be changed to <elt>
in the past tense and past participle to give soopelt
and trauchelt etc.
In Many dialects
the terminal <d> of <nd> and
<ld> is usually silent but is often pronounced
in the derived forms (especially past tenses) of many
words. In order to achieve orthographic consistency such
words are spelled with the <nd>, e.g. haund
and soond, and haundit and soondit.
Entries in dictionaries often include the terminal <d>
in brackets, e.g. haun(d), soon(d),
sen(d).
In many words the final <d> of a medial <nd>
is also silent. Many words no longer have the <d>
pronounced at all. Such words are now spelled using a
medial <nn> or <n>.
Here spellings like bind, blind, find
and wind are considered adequate for representing
the vowel /ɪ/.
Some writers use spellings like finn(d)
in order to show the Scots pronunciation.
The initial <th> in thanks, thing,
awthing and think is often pronounced /h/.
The final <g> in thing
is often silent. It is used in writing because the final
<ing> is not the suffix for the gerund
or present participle. This word is cognate with German
Ding and Scandinavian ting.
Final
<the> to indicate the voiced consonant /ð/
in bathe, kythe, laithe and skaithe
etc.
The pronunciation /s/
or /z/
for final <s> or elided and genitive forms with <'s>
or <s'>.
The pronunciation /s/
usually occurs after /f/,
/k/, /p/,
/s/, /t/,
/θ/ and /x/
and before an inflexion.
e.g. laifs, wifes, wife's, hooses,
lochs and threaps etc.
The pronunciation /z/
usually occurs in plurals ending with <es>
and after a vowel sound or /b/,
/d/, /g/,
/l/, /m/,
/n/, /r/,
/v/, /ð/
and /ŋ/.
e.g. dous, haunds, ludges, steams,
gie's, his, hers and thairs
etc.
Final
<ss> is usually pronounced /s/
e.g. miss, bliss, bress, uiss
and wiss etc.
Final
<se> is more complicated and it may be worthwhile
consulting a pronunciation dictionary.
Final <se> is usually pronounced /s/
after short vowels /l/,
/n/, /p/
and (long vowels before) /r/.
e.g. coorse, grilse, hoose,
manse, mense and traipse. etc.
Final <se> is usually pronounced /z/
after long vowels and diphthongs.
e.g. jalouse, lowse, phrase,
please and uise etc.
<z> for /z/
is seldom used in Scots, though it does occur in some
words as a substitute for the older <ʒ>
(yogh) representing the pronunciations /ŋ/,
/ŋj/ and /nj/.
<lʒ> became
/lj/. This has led to a number of variants using the spellings
<z>, <y>, <n>
and <ng>.
e.g. brulzie - brulyie, gaberlunzie
- gaberlunyie, senzie - senyie,
Cockenzie - Cockennie, Mackenzie
- Mackennie and Menzies -
Mingis etc.
Glottal stops
/ʔ/ are not indicated
in writing. Many speakers substitute a glottal stop for /t/
and sometimes /k/ and /p/,
between two vowels.
English and Scots Cognates
Many Scots and English words are derived by direct
descent from the same source. Some insights into the
spelling of Scots may be gained by comparing the spelling
of Scots words to the spellings of their English cognates.
There are of course exceptions to the 'rules' explained
here.
These comparisons in no way imply English is a 'corrupted'
form of Scots!
Different Consonants
- Scots has no 'b' in the accented or any following
syllable, where English has it after <m>.
| English |
Scots |
English |
Scots |
| amber |
lammer |
rumble |
rummle |
| chamber |
chaumer |
shamble |
skemmle |
| cumber |
cummer |
thimble |
thimmle |
| embers |
emmers |
timber |
timmer |
| number |
nummer |
tumble |
tummle |
Note.
| Dizember |
December |
member |
member |
| September |
September |
November |
November |
- As previously mentioned the final <d>
after <n> is usually silent. In
many words the historic <d> in medial
positions is not pronounced. In such words the spelling
<n> or <nn>
is used.
| candle |
caunle |
thunder |
thunner |
| wander |
wander |
wonder |
wunner |
-
Scots often has no final 'f' where English
does.
- Scots often has no medial and final 'v'
where English does.
| calves |
caur |
have |
hae |
| delve |
del |
leave |
lea' |
| devil |
deil |
love |
lue |
| dove |
dou |
over |
ower |
| even |
e'en |
serve |
ser |
| give |
gie |
silver |
siller |
| harvest |
hairst |
twelve |
twal |
- In some words Scots has no final 'th', where
English does.
| mouth |
mou |
(uncouth) |
unco |
| quoth |
quo |
with |
wi |
Letter Differences
- In some words Scots has <dd> where English
has <th>.
| smithy |
smiddie |
stithy |
stiddie |
| withy |
widdie |
|
|
-
 Scots
often has <k> or <ck> where
English has <ch>. The Scots <k>
or <ck> is often claimed to be of Scandinavian
origin.
| birch |
birk |
larch |
larick |
| bitch |
bick |
stitch |
steek |
| breeches |
breeks |
stretch |
streek |
| church |
kirk |
such |
sic |
| itchy |
yeukie |
thatch |
thack |
- Scots often has <scl> where English
has <sl>.
| slant |
sclent |
slender |
sclender |
| slate |
sclate |
slice |
sclice |
- Scots often has <sk> where English has
<sh>.
| shambles |
skemmles |
share |
skare |
shelf |
skelf |
- Scots often has <g> or <gg>
where English has <dge>.
| bridge |
brig |
ridge |
rig |
| dredge |
dreg |
edge on |
egg |
| sedge |
seg |
|
|
Note the exceptions hedge and sled
sledge.
- Scots often has <au> where English has
<al>.
| calf |
cauf |
malt |
maut |
| calm |
caum |
palm |
paum |
| chalk |
cauk |
psalm |
psaum |
| false |
fause |
salmon |
saumon |
| half |
hauf |
salt |
saut |
| halse (neck) |
hause |
scald |
scaud |
Note stalk, talk and walk.
- Scots usually has <aw> where English
has final <all>.
| call |
caw |
hall |
haw |
| all |
aw |
small |
smaw |
| ball |
baw |
stall |
staw |
| fall |
faw |
wall |
waw |
- Scots often has <ow> medially and <owe>
finally, where English has <ol(l)>.
| boll |
bowe |
hollow |
howe |
| bolster |
bowster |
knoll |
knowe |
| bolt |
bowt |
poll |
powe |
| colt |
cowt |
roll |
rowe |
| gold |
gowd |
stolen |
stowen |
| golf |
gowf |
|
|
Note the exception: sodger soldier.
- Scots often has <aul> where English
has <ol>.
| bold |
bauld |
old |
auld |
| cold |
cauld |
scold |
scauld |
| fold |
fauld |
told |
tauld |
Note the exceptions:
| hold |
haud |
solder |
souder |
| soldier |
sodger |
|
|
- In Scots the position of <r> is often
switched compared to the preceding or following vowel
in English.
| burnt |
brunt |
proverb |
provrib |
| christen |
kirsten |
rhubarb |
rhubrub |
| grass |
girse |
turf |
truff |
| curb |
crib |
wart |
wrat |
| modern |
modren |
wrestle |
warstle |
| pretend |
pertend |
|
|
- Scots often has a pronunciation variation between
/ʃ/ and /s/
in many words of Norman French origin. These words may
be spelled using <s>, <c>
or <sh>.
| officer |
offisher |
gusset |
gushet |
| cinders |
shinders |
hoarse |
hairsh |
| sew (clothes) |
shew |
mince |
minsh |
| vessel |
veshel |
notice |
notish |
- The <ual> in some words may be pronounced
/wəl/ .
- In some words of Latin origin, Scots has kept the
original pronunciation /i(:)/
where English has /ɪ/
or /ai/.
| baptise |
bapteese |
oblige |
obleege |
| civil |
ceevil |
original |
oreeginal |
| item |
eetem |
pity |
peety |
| liberal |
leeberal |
position |
poseetion |
| licence |
leeshence |
spirit |
speerit |
Note. seestem system.
- Scots often has <-fee> where English
has <-fy>.
| magnify |
magnifee |
satisfy |
saitisfee |
| modify |
modifee |
signify |
seegnifee |
- Scots often has <i> where English has
<u>.
- Scots often has <e> where English has
<a>.
| brass |
bress |
glad |
gled |
| clasp |
clesp |
glass |
gless |
| hasp |
hesp |
fast |
fest |
- Scots often has <ai> where English has
<a>. Especially in words with <r>
+ consonant.
| arm |
airm |
saddle |
saidle |
| bedraggle |
bedraigle |
sharp |
shairp |
| father |
faither |
warm |
wairm |
| manner |
mainer |
yard |
yaird |
- Scots often has <a> where English has
<o>.
| crop |
crap |
soft |
saft |
| drop |
drap |
song |
sang |
| long |
lang |
strong |
strang |
| pot |
pat |
throng |
thrang |
| sob |
sab |
top |
tap |
- Scots often has <a(consonant)e>
where English has <o(consonant)e>.
| bone |
bane |
one |
ane |
| home |
hame |
stone |
stane |
| lone |
lane |
|
|
Note the exceptions in <ai>.
| cole |
kail |
sore |
sair |
| rope |
raip |
whole |
hail |
Note. open remains so in Scots.
- Scots often has <ee> where English has
<e>.
| well |
weel |
fret |
freet |
| wet |
weet |
jelly |
jeely |
Note the exception reid red.
- Scots often has <u> or <i>
after <wh> and <w> where English
has <e>, <i>, or <o>.
| whelk |
wulk |
word |
wird |
| woman |
wumman |
wirth |
worth |
| worm |
wirm |
whurl |
whorl |
- Scots often has <y> where English has
<oi>.
| anynt |
anoint |
join |
jyne |
| boil (sore) |
byle |
point |
pynt |
| boil (water) |
byle |
spoil |
spyle |
| choice |
chyce |
voice |
vyce |
Note.
| ile |
oil |
eyster |
oyster |
| queir |
choir |
noise |
noise |
| eyntment |
ointment |
pusion |
poison |
| ryal |
royal |
evite |
avoid |
- Scots has <ch> /x/
where English has <gh>.
Most dialects of Scots have a German like Ich/Ach
rule governing the pronunciation of <ch>.
<ch> is pronounced /ç/
following a front vowel, and /x/
following a back vowel. For the sake of simplicity /x/
has been throughout this site.
| bought |
bocht |
might v. |
micht |
| bright |
bricht |
night |
nicht |
| fight |
fecht |
rough |
roch |
| fright |
fricht |
sight |
sicht |
| high |
heich |
thought |
thocht |
| laugh |
lauch |
tough |
teuch |
| light |
licht |
weight |
wecht |
| might n. |
maucht |
|
|
Note the exception, 'delight'
comes from Old French 'deliter'. The English
spelling arose by analogy with 'light'. The
word is not pronounced 'delicht' in Scots and
is written (and pronounced) 'delite'.
Burgh retains the <gh> in Scots.
- Scots often has <oo> where English has
<ou>.
| about |
aboot |
out |
oot |
| house |
hoose |
round |
roond |
| mouse |
moose |
sound (healthy) |
soond |
| our |
oor |
sound (noise) |
soond |
- Scots often has <u> where English has
<ou>.
| found |
fund |
mount |
munt |
| fountain |
funtain |
mountain |
muntain |
| ground |
grund |
mourn |
murn |
Among the exceptions are:
| though |
tho |
group |
group |
| colour |
colour |
thought |
thocht |
| country |
kintra |
through |
throu |
| enough |
eneuch |
tour |
tour |
- Scots often has <ou> where English has
<ow> medially.
| brown |
broun |
gown |
goun |
| cower |
couer |
powder |
pouder |
| crowd |
croud |
power |
pouer |
| crown |
croun |
shower |
shouer |
| down |
doun |
towel |
touel |
| drown |
droun |
tower |
touer |
| flower |
flouer |
town |
toun |
| fowl |
foul |
|
|
- In some words Scots often has final <aw>
where English has final <ow>.
| blow |
blaw |
show |
shaw |
| crow |
craw |
snow |
snaw |
| mow |
maw |
low |
law |
| row (line) |
raw |
throw |
thraw |
- In some words Scots often has final <ae>
where English has final <ow>.
| arrow |
airae |
pillow |
pillae |
| barrow |
barrae |
shadow |
shaidae |
| bellows |
bellaes |
sorrow |
sorrae |
| borrow |
borrae |
swallow |
swallae |
| follow |
follae |
widow |
weedae |
| marrow |
marrae |
window |
windae |
| meadow |
meidae |
yellow |
yellae |
| narrow |
nairae |
|
|
Similarly in some words Scots often
has final <ae> where English has final
<a>.
| algebra |
algebrae |
Canada |
Canadae |
| America |
Americae |
China |
Cheenae |
| alpha |
alphae |
omega |
omegae |
- In some words Scots has <ou> where English
has final <ow>.
| allow |
allou |
cow |
cou |
| bow |
bou |
how |
hou |
| brow |
brou |
now |
nou |
Exceptions to the above are:
| bellow |
buller |
furrow |
furr |
| below |
ablo |
minnow |
minnin |
| elbow |
elbuck |
|
|
- The Anglo-Saxon long <o> /o:/
became /ø/
and /y/ in older
Scots, then spelled <ui> and <u(Consonant)e>
respectively. Now generally spelled <ui>
or <eu> (see below) in Modern Scots and
usually <oo> in English. Similarly with
Scandinavian and Romance words.
This remains /ø(:)/
and /y(:)/ in
peripheral dialects.
In parts of Fife, Angus and Ulster /e(:)/
occurs. In northern dialects and parts of
Ulster /i(:)/
occurs, where in Mid Northern Scots after /g/
and /k/ it is
/wi(:)/. In Central Scots and parts of Ulster it became
/ɪ/ when
short and /e:/
when long.
| blood |
bluid |
palm |
luif |
| board |
buird |
pool |
puil |
| brute |
bruit |
poor |
puir |
| cool |
cuil |
roose |
ruise |
| done |
duin |
refuse |
refuise |
| floor |
fluir |
school |
schuil |
| ford |
fuird |
spoon |
spuin |
| fruit |
fruit |
sure |
shuir |
| good |
guid |
Thursday |
Fuirsday |
| loom |
luim |
use n. |
uiss |
| moon |
muin |
use v. |
uise |
| moor |
muir |
(young coal-fish) |
cuithe |
- In some of the above the Central Scots pronunciation
has established itself in the spelling.
| ado |
adae |
do |
dae |
shoe |
shae |
to |
tae |
e.g. dae do,
did did, duin done
and dis does.
- Some words descended from the long <o>
now have <i>.
| brother |
brither |
mother |
mither |
| foot |
fit |
other |
ither |
Note. wid wood
isn't descended from long <o>.
- Where the Anglo-Saxon long <o> /o:/
was followed by /k/
or /x/ the sound
shifted to <eu> in Scots. Pronounced /(j)u/
or /(j)ʌ/
depending on dialect.
Similarly with Scandinavian words.
| book |
beuk |
hook |
heuk |
| bough |
beuch |
laughed |
leuch |
| (cliff) |
heuch |
look |
leuk |
| (ravine) |
cleuch |
nook |
neuk |
| (ditch) |
sheuch |
plough |
pleuch |
| duck (bird) |
deuk |
(sparrow) |
speug |
| enough |
eneuch |
tough |
teuch |
Note teug tug.
- In some words Scots has no final <e>
as in English <ure>.
| creature |
craitur |
nature |
naitur |
| lecture |
lectur |
picture |
pictur |
| mixture |
mixtur |
venture |
ventur |
Note. secure,
siccar.
- In many words Scots has initial <a>
where English has <be>.
| because |
acause |
beneath |
aneath |
| before |
afore |
beside |
aside |
| behind |
ahint |
between |
atween |
| below |
ablo |
beyond |
ayont |
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