The Rules of English Spelling

[boshoffirene]

I studied two languages as a student - English and my second language Afrikaans. I did them both at first language level. For Afrikaans, we had this thick brown book chockablock full of grammar and spelling rules - and being the great student I was, I knew them by heart (still know most of them, and those that I don't, I kinda apply automatically).

Anyway, this is about English. I remember we also had these rules, BUT each one had exceptions. Tons of them. 

I saw this today, and it made me smile. You know that rule of 'i before e except after c'....well have some fun, why dontcha!

[sgoble]

Rules? We don't need no stinking rules! 

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Nicoll 
The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse trollop*. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.

*original word replaced with archaic synonym to evade the censors

[kfarnell]

This reminds me of the Upwork BrE spelling test that asked for a correct spelling of 'kindergarten' errrm... n-u-r-s-e-r-y.

It also included 'restaurant' but at least we use that word.