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Our Failed Attempts to Make English Eezier to Spell

with Gabe Henry

Have you ever wondered why the English spelling of words is sometimes just weird? Come on a surprisingly hilarious journey with us and author Gabe Henry through the history of the English language.

Anyone who has the misfortune to write in English will struggle with its spelling every now and then. In our erratic system, choir and liar rhyme, daughter and laughter don’t, and somehow you and ewe can’t agree on a single letter. So why do we still use it? If our spelling is so inconsistent, why haven’t we tried to fix it? In Enough is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Eezier to Spell, Gabe Henry humorously traces the “simplified spelling movement” from medieval England to Revolutionary America, from the birth of standup comedy to contemporary pop music, and explores its lasting influence in words like color (without a U), plow (without -ugh), and the iconic ’90s ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Finally, Henry brings us to the digital age, where the swift pace of online exchanges now pushes us all 2ward simplification. 

About the Author: Gabe Henry is the author of three books, including the poetry anthology Eating Salad Drunk, a humor collaboration with Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Odenkirk, Mike Birbiglia, Margaret Cho, and other comedy titans. Henry’s work has been published in TIME, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, The Weekly Humorist, US News & World Report, and more.

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