Phonetics, Orthoepy and Spelling
Core concepts
Phonetics deals with sounds; orthoepy deals with correct pronunciation; spelling deals with correct writing. In Bulgarian you must know vowels (а, ъ, о, у, е, и) and consonants, and understand that some letters represent different sounds in different positions.
Key spelling rules
- ъ is written only under stress and in certain endings; unstressed о and ъ can sound alike, so check the related word form.
- Voicing: voiced consonants at the end of a word sound voiceless (град sounds like грат) but keep their written form.
- ь (ер малък) softens the preceding consonant and is never written before а, ъ, о, у.
- Doubled consonants occur at morpheme boundaries (ранен → раннен).
- Prefixes ending in з/с change according to the following sound.
Traps
- Writing what you hear instead of what the rule requires.
- Forgetting that a word's spelling can be checked by a related form (вода → води).
- Confusing prefixes and prepositions (без and без).
Rule of thumb
When unsure, change the word: put it in another form, find a related word, or make it plural. The sound may change, but the spelling of the root stays the same.
Worked example
Is it снек or сняг? The word sounds like снек, but the related form снегове shows a г, so the correct spelling is сняг.