For many written languages the notion of orthography, or a correct and standardized spelling, is relatively new. This is certainly true for Hebrew. Although written uninterruptedly for three thousand years, Hebrew has never had a fixed spelling. Until the beginning of the 20th century, each era or location had its own spelling conventions. Yet conventions and tendencies are not orthography in the strict sense of the term, and many words could be spelled in more than one way.

The main difference between the various ways to spell words has always involved the use of the ‘vowel letters’ ( Matre…