415: Tho and Thru Jan 27, 2016

Traditional or modern: discussion almost as old as time. Spelling reform in English is often very practical; it makes the language easier to learn, especially for children and non-native speakers, although a little bit of history and culture is inevitably lost. 'Though' and 'through' today make little sense to spell. Especially in informal writing, 'tho' and 'thru' can replace them. Both have a long history of occasional usage as a different spelling with great popularity even in the 19th century and before. spelling reformers advocated for the change, but it did not take with prescriptivists. Although it does allow for a window into the past (see WF Dec. 20, 2015), the spelling for many seems a bit archaic.