Alphabet rationale
This page explains the reasoning behind the Simpli alphabet: which letters we use, the V and W rule (sounds equivalent), and why we keep both i and y.
The full alphabet
Simpli uses a small, regular set of letters. Every sound is written with one letter; we avoid silent letters and extra symbols.
Vowels: a, e, i, o, u (long: aa, ee, ii, oo, uu — doubled letter).
Consonants: p, b, t, d, k, g, m, n, f, s, l, r, h, v, w, y. No letter c (removed entirely). Use k for /k/. The sound /tʃ/ is written tj; /dʒ/ is written dj (symmetrical with tj). G always represents the hard /g/ sound. The [v]/[w] sound is written v (standard); w can still be used for familiarity with English.
V and W (sounds equivalent)
In Simpli the English [v] and [w] sounds are equivalent. The standard spelling uses V: we replace W with V for this sound. W can still be used for familiarity with English (e.g. wata, wi, windo). Speakers may pronounce either way.
Standard spellings with v:
- seven → seven
- water → vata (or wata for familiarity)
- woman → vuman (or wuman for familiarity)
- have → hav
- give → giv
- live → liv
- move → mov
- river → river
- even → even
So: V is the standard letter for the [v]/[w] sound; W is allowed for familiarity.
Why i and y?
We keep both i and y because they represent different sounds:
- i is a vowel (syllable nucleus): the sound in sit, see, it, eat — short or long (spelled ii). Examples: mi, bi, tri, sii, faind, pipol, gud, iit.
- y is a consonant (the glide [j]): the sound at the start of yes, you, year. Examples: yu, yes, yesterde, yelo (yellow). (The digraph dj is used for /dʒ/, a different sound.)
Unlike v and w, we don’t merge them: they are two different phonemes (vowel vs consonant). Using y for [j] keeps spellings clear: yu (you) and yes are readable; iu or ies would blur the consonant with the vowel. So we keep both i and y.
G and dj
G always represents the hard /g/ sound (as in go, gud, giv, langwidj). It never represents the /dʒ/ sound that English uses in words like “giant” or “general”. dj represents /dʒ/ (symmetrical with tj for /tʃ/): djob, djeneral, djaiant, meidjer, bridj. This contrast makes pronunciation predictable.
Other letters we don’t use
Simpli also drops or maps other English letters to keep the alphabet small and phonetic:
- th → d (dis, dat, dey)
- c — not used in Simpli. We use k for /k/ (e.g. skul, akson). The sound /tʃ/ is written tj; /dʒ/ is written dj: tjaild (child), tiitjer (teacher), tjeendj (change), tjiiz (cheese), djob, bridj (bridge).
- ph → f (fon)
- sh → s; z → s when needed
Why the automatic c → k rule fails
Because English c can correspond to different sounds:
- cat → /k/ → kat
- city → /s/ → siti
- ocean → /ʃ/ or /ʃən/ contextually, not okean
- special → not spekial
- electric → final c is /k/, but not every c in English is
So the real rule is not “replace c with k,” but:
- /k/ → k
- /s/ → s
- /tʃ/ → tj
- /dʒ/ → dj
- and sometimes other outcomes depending on actual pronunciation
Same problem with other letters
This also applies to:
- g: go /g/ vs general /dʒ/
- x: box /ks/, xylophone /z/, exact /gz/
- th: think /θ/, this /ð/
- vowels everywhere
So a serious Simpli corpus cannot be built from raw orthographic substitutions alone. You must start from pronunciation, then apply the Simpli phoneme inventory (see Spelling → “How to define the spelling of a word”).
For long vowels, syllable rules, and common endings, see Spelling.