Old-Fashioned Spellings

Why is the letter F used instead of S in Old-Fashioned Spellings?


In genuine old-style printing, it is not the letter f, but a long form of the letter s (derived from handwriting styles) which looks very similar to f but does not have a complete cross-bar. It is not used at the ends of words and in double s it is sometimes paired with a short s (which results in a compound letter like the German double-s (or sz or symbol ß). It fell out of fashion with printers rather suddenly in about 1780.


Complementary Links:


Fayre, Fair and Fare : Which Is Which?
Are spellings like privatize and organize Americanisms?
Can CANNOT also be written as two words CAN NOT?
How do you spell Poppadom?
Is there an apostrophe in the Plural of Pizza?

E Words : What is the correct way to spell them?
When is it correct to use a Hyphen?
Why is YE used instead of THE in Antique English?
What is the difference between Affect and Effect?

Why is the letter F used instead of S in Old-Fashioned Spellings?
Which is correct Caster Sugar or Castor Sugar?
What is the difference between Learnt and Learned?
Why can't I find the word PERJORATIVE in my dictionary?

FAQ | Old-Fashioned Spellings to HOME PAGE

Follow These Links!