Episode Overview
Podcast: Stuff You Should Know
Episode: Short Stuff: Simple Spelling Movement
Release Date: April 1, 2026
Hosts: Josh and Chuck
In this "Short Stuff" episode, Josh and Chuck explore the long and quirky history of attempts to simplify English spelling. Focusing especially on Teddy Roosevelt’s early 20th-century efforts—and moving through 20th-century reformers like Edward Rondthaler—they discuss why English spelling is such a mess, famous supporters of reform, and the cultural resistance to changing how we write. The tone is humorous, light, and slightly incredulous at the strange turns in spelling history.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. The Origins of the Simple Spelling Movement
[01:37]
- English is notoriously tough to learn, especially because of bizarre and inconsistent spelling.
- Multiple movements have sought to simplify spelling, making it more phonetic.
[01:37] Chuck:
“We’re talking about the idea that English is a really tough language to learn and that there have been many movements over the years to simplify things and spell things out a little more phonetically.”
2. Teddy Roosevelt and the 1906 Simplified Spelling Reform
[02:04–03:31]
- President Teddy Roosevelt issued an executive order in 1906, mandating all federal documents use simplified spelling for 300 words.
- Heavyweight supporters included Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain, William James—“a lot of thinkers in America.”
- The plan was widely mocked; Roosevelt was pilloried in cartoons, and Congress was indignant at being bypassed.
[02:49] Chuck:
“This kind of just goes to show you that you can be super, super popular as a public figure or even a politician. And if you come up with an idea that people think are dumb…they turn on you pretty quickly because people hated this idea.”
- Congress countered with a bill specifying Webster’s Dictionary as the spelling authority, ironically as Noah Webster himself advocated for earlier, simpler spelling.
3. Historic Champions of Spelling Reform
[04:00–04:44]
- Noah Webster and Benjamin Franklin both previously promoted spelling simplification.
- However, their efforts, like Roosevelt’s, met stiff resistance.
[04:27] Josh:
“Both Noah Webster and Benjamin Franklin had already found out that people don’t like the concept of simplifying English for some reason, even though there’s reason after reason to do this.”
4. Why English Spelling Is So Difficult
[04:44–05:39]
- Absurdities like the "ght" ending in “caught,” “though,” “draft,” “drought,” etc. defy logic and rules.
- English learners are forced to memorize spellings rather than rely on logic.
- Spelling bees are mainly a U.S./English-language phenomenon precisely because English spelling is so tricky.
[05:18] Josh:
“Spelling bees are almost entirely an American phenomenon...because it’s so tricky to spell English words.”
5. The Simplified Spelling Board and Organic Change
[06:35–08:11]
- Carnegie, Twain, and others funded the “Simplified Spelling Board” aiming to push organic spelling change faster.
- Example: In Elizabethan England, "fish" was spelled “fySHe.” Over time, it organically became “fish.”
- Much U.S.-U.K. spelling divergence (like “color” vs. “colour”) stems from informal, organic change—not authority.
[07:45] Josh:
“At some point the people in the United States said, ‘We’re just going to start spelling this. It’s just easier this way.’”
6. Later Efforts and Obstacles
[09:40–12:52]
- Other reformers included James Ruggles, who proposed “knowed” as past tense of “know.”
- There’s a stigma attached to “incorrect” or “overly phonetic” English, even though elite thinkers have sometimes championed it.
- In the 1970s, Edward Rondthaler tried again, linking spelling difficulty to illiteracy and even “a life of crime.”
- Rondthaler hoped the rise of computers could automate the switching to simple spelling.
[10:18] Chuck:
“If you’re a literate human and you look at something phonetically or say something like ‘I knowed that,’ it makes you sound like you’re maybe not so smart.”
7. Functional Illiteracy in America
[12:52–14:01]
- Despite a 99% literacy rate, 21% of Americans are functionally illiterate: they can read but struggle with tasks like tax forms.
- This represents about 71 million adults.
[13:31] Chuck:
“Apparently 21% of Americans are functionally illiterate, which…seems high, but, you know, if that’s the stat, that’s the stat.”
8. Will Spelling Ever Change?
[14:01–14:16]
- Informal writing (texts, chats) shows more phonetic spellings (e.g., “tho”), but formal spelling change is unlikely.
- The “ship has sailed” on wholesale reform.
[14:16] Chuck:
“Yeah, I mean, there’s a case to be made. I think people are doing it on their own a little bit, like I said, through texts. But I don’t think…proper, graded spelling is ever going to change that much.”
Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments
-
On the futility of trying to reform English spelling:
[06:39] Josh:“Do we have to wait like a thousand years before it just happens on its own?”
-
On English spelling idiosyncrasies:
[04:44] Chuck:“There just doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason…If you learn English and learn how to spell in English, you’re basically just taught, like, you just gotta memorize this stuff. There are no rules...”
-
On Roosevelt’s short-lived experiment:
[03:31] Josh:“Because there was an election coming up, he’s like, okay, I’m backing off. You guys win. We’ll just stay with the…dumb rules of grammar and spelling that English has.”
-
On literacy statistics:
[13:42] Josh:“To be functionally illiterate means that you can read, but you have trouble navigating life as an adult…because you’re basically literate, but not functionally literate.”
Important Segments (Timestamps)
- [01:37] Introduction to the simple spelling movement and its challenges
- [02:04] Roosevelt’s executive order & famous backers
- [03:11–03:31] Roosevelt mocked in the press; Congress’s reaction
- [04:00–04:44] Historical reformers (Webster and Franklin)
- [04:44–05:39] The madness of English spelling; the spelling bee phenomenon
- [06:35–08:11] Simplified Spelling Board: organic vs. enforced change
- [09:40–11:36] Later reformers, stigma, and failed efforts
- [12:52–13:42] America’s functional illiteracy problem
- [14:01–14:16] Unlikely prospects for future change
Sources Referenced
[14:16] Josh:
Acknowledges history.com, TIME, Paleofuture, Smithsonian, and Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader as sources for the episode's research.
This episode is a breezy, informative look at both the history and the (very human) resistance to making English any easier to spell—grounded in surprising historical footnotes and contemporary statistics, and punctuated by Josh and Chuck’s affable banter.