Orthography is the system of rules for how a language is written correctly, including spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. When you learn that “receive” is spelled with ei instead of ie, or that sentences start with capital letters, you're learning English orthography.

Different languages have different orthographies. Spanish orthography is fairly straightforward: words are usually spelled the way they sound. English orthography is famously tricky because our spelling system preserves centuries of history. The word “knight” shows this perfectly: we still spell it with a k and gh even though we stopped pronouncing those sounds hundreds of years ago.

Linguists study orthography to understand how writing systems work and change over time. When you see debates about whether “alright” should be one word or two (“all right”), that's a question of orthography.

Good orthography makes reading easier because everyone follows the same conventions. Imagine trying to read a book where every writer spelled words however they wanted! Standardized orthography lets millions of people communicate clearly in writing. When you practice spelling or learn punctuation rules, you're mastering your language's orthography, joining a tradition of written communication that connects you to everyone else who writes in English.