List of words that may be spelled with a ligature

This list of words that may be spelled with a ligature in English encompasses words which have letters that may, in modern usage, either be rendered as two distinct letters or as a single, combined letter. This includes AE being rendered as Æ and OE being rendered as Œ.

Until the early twentieth century, the œ and æ ligatures had been commonly used to indicate an etymological connection with Latin or Greek. Since then they have fallen out of fashion almost completely and are now only used occasionally. They are more commonly used for the names of historical people, to evoke archaism, or in literal quotations of historical sources. These ligatures are proper letters in some Scandinavian languages, and so are used to render names from those languages, and likewise names from Old English. Some American spellings replace ligatured vowels with a single letter, for example fœtus is spelled fetus.

The fl and fi ligatures, among others, are still commonly used to render modern text in fine typography. Page-layout programs such as QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign can be configured to automatically replace the individual characters with the appropriate ligatures. However this is a typographic feature and not part of the spelling.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Æ

Note that some words contain an ae which may not be written æ because the etymology is not from the Greek -αι- or Latin -ae- diphthongs. These include:

Non-ligature formLigature formOther formsEtymology
aeciosporeæciosporecombination of New Latin aecium and New Latin spora→spore (aecium+spore)
aecidiumæcidium(aecium)New Latin aecidium, from Greek αἰκία (aikia)
aeciumæcium(aecidium)New Latin aecidium, from Greek αἰκία (aikia)
aediculeædiculeedicule (AmE)Latin aediculum
AegisÆgisEgis (AmE)Latin from Greek Αἰγίς (Aigis)
AelfredÆlfredAlfredOld English—see Alfred
AeolianÆolianEolian (AmE)Latin Aeolis from Greek mythology Αἰολίς (Aiolis)
AeolisÆolisLatin Aeolis, from Greek Αἰολίς (Aiolis)
aeonæoneon (AmE)Late Latin aeon, from Greek αἰών (aion).
aeraæraera (AmE)
aeroseæroseLatin aerosus, from aes
aerugiteærugite(aerugo)Latin aerugo, from aes
aerugoærugo(aerugite)Latin aerugo, from aes
aeschyniteæschyniteeschynite (AmE)Greek αἰσχύνω (aischuno)
aesculinæsculinesculin (AmE)
aesculetinæsculetinesculetin (AmE)
AesopÆsopEsopAncient Greek Αἴσωπος (Aisōpos)
aestheticæstheticesthetic (AmE - rare)Greek αἰσθετικός (aisthetikos)
aestivalæstivalestival (AmE)Latin aestivus, from aestas
aestivationæstivationestivation (AmE)Latin aestivare, from aestivus, from aestas
AetherÆtherether (AmE)Latin aether, from Greek αἰθήρ (aither)
aetherealæthereal or ætherialethereal (AmE), ethereal (AmE - rare), aetherial (BrE - rare)
AethrioscopeÆthrioscopeEthrioscopeGreek αἴθριον (aithrion)
aetiologyætiologyetiology (AmE)
algaealgæalgas (very rare)
ambilevousambilævousFrom Latin ambilævus (ambi- ("both") + lævus ("left")), a calque of Ancient Greek ἀμφαρίστερος (ampharisteros).
anaemiaanæmiaanemia (AmE)
anaesthesiaanæsthesiaanesthesia (AmE)
anapaestanapæstanapest (AmE)
antennaeantennæantennas
archaeologyarchæologyarcheology (AmE)
AthenaeumAthenæumAtheneum (AmE)
azotaemiaazotæmiaazotemia (AmE)
bacteraemiabacteræmiabacteremia (AmE)
bacteraemiabacteræmiabacteremia (AmE)
CaedmonCædmonCadmon
CaesarCæsarCesar (AmE  rare)
caesiumcæsiumcesium (AmE)
chaetophorouschætophorouschetophorous
chimaerachimærachimera (AmE)
coaevalcoævalcoeval
curriculum vitaecurriculum vitæLatin meaning ‘course of life’, vitæ
cyclopaediacyclopædiacyclopedia
daedaldædaldedal
diaeresisdiæresisdieresis (AmE)
daemondæmondemon (AmE)Greek: δαιμων (daimon)
EgyptÆgypt Aegypt (Archaic)From the Latinised Ægyptus
encyclopaediaencyclopædiaencyclopedia (AmE)
enigmaænigmaaenigma
eraæra aera (BrE - rare)Late Latin aera, probably from Latin æs (plural æra)
et ceteraet cæteraet caetera, etc., &c.Latin phrase
eternalæternalaeternal
EthiopiaÆthiopiaAethiopia
Eudaemoniceudæmoniceudemonic
faecesfæcesfeces (AmE)
fairyfæriefaerie
formulaeformulæformulas
fraenumfrænumFrenum
GaeaGæaGaia
haemoglobinhæmoglobinhemoglobin (AmE)
haemolysishæmolysishemolysis (AmE)
haemophiliahæmophiliahemophilia (AmE)
haemorrhagehæmorrhagehemorrhage (AmE)
haemorrhoidhæmorrhoidhemorrhoid (AmE)
hyaenahyænahyena
hypaethralhypæthralhypethral
hyperbolaehyperbolæhyperbolas (AmE)
hypnopediahypnopædia
ischaemiaischæmiaischemia (AmE)
judaeojudæojudeo
judaeophobejudæophobejudeophobe (AmE)
leukaemialeukæmialeukemia (AmE)
medievalmediævalmediaeval (BrE)
nebulaenebulænebulasplural – New LatinLatin ("mist"); akin to Old High German nebul ("fog") → Greek nephelē, nephos ("cloud")
nymphaenymphænymphs
nymphaeanymphæa
orthopaedicorthopædicorthopedic (AmE)
paeanpæanpean (AmE)
paeonpæon
pedagoguepædagogue or pædagogpedagog (AmE), (paedagogue and paedagog exist but are both somewhat archaic)
pederastypæderastypaederasty
paediatricspædiatricspediatrics (AmE)
paediatricianpædiatricianpediatrician (AmE)
paediatristpædiatristpediatrist (AmE)
paedophilepædophilepedophile (AmE)
palaeobotanypalæobotanypaleobotany (AmE)
palaeocenepalæocenepaleocene (AmE)
palaeoclimatologypalæoclimatologypaleoclimatology (AmE)
palaeographypalæographypalaeography (AmE)
palaeolithicpalæolithicpaleolithic (AmE)
palaeographypalæographypaleography (AmE)
palaeontologypalæontologypaleontology (AmE)
palaeozoicpalæozoicpaleozoic (AmE)
PanacaeaPanacæaPanacea (AmE)
PangaeaPangæaPangea (AmE)
parabolaeparabolæparabolas (AmE)
personaepersonæpersonas
premiumpræmiumpraemium
primevalprimævalprimaeval (BrE - rare)
QuaestorQuæstor
RhaetiaRhætia
septicaemiasepticæmiasepticemia (AmE)
scarabaeidscarabæid
scarabaeoidscarabæoid
subpoenaesubpœnæ
supernovaesupernovæsupernovas
synaeresissynæresissyneresis (AmE)
synaesthesiasynæsthesiasynesthesia (AmE)
toxaemiatoxæmiatoxemia (AmE)
uraemiauræmiauremia (AmE)
vertebraevertebræ
viraemiaviræmiaviremia (AmE)

Œ

Common formLigature formOther formsEtymology
amenorrhoeaamenorrhœaamenorrhea (AmE)From Greek α (a) + μένόρροια (mēnorroia)
amoebaamœbaameba (AmErare)New Latin amoeba, from Greek ἀμοιβή (amoibē)
apneaapnœaapnoea (BrE)New Latin apnoea, from Greek απνοια (apnoia)
coeliaccœliacceliac (AmE)Latin coeliacus, from Greek κοιλιακος (koiliakos)
diarrheadiarrhœadiarrhoea (BrE)Middle English diaria, from Late Latin diarrhoea, from Greek διάρροια (diarroia)
dyspneadyspnœa dyspnoea
ecologyœcology oecology
economicsœconomicsoeconomics
economyœconomy oeconomy
ecumenismœcumenism oecumenism, rarely ocumenism
esophagusœsophagusoesophagus (BrE)
estrogenœstrogenoestrogen (BrE)
estrusœstrus oestrus
federalfœderalfoederal  archaic; thus virtually never foundLatin foedus
fetidfœtidfoetid (BrE)Latin fētidus
fetorfœtorfoetor (BrE)Middle English fetoure, from Latin fētor
fetusfœtusfoetus (BrE)Middle English fetus, from Latin fētus
gonorrhoeagonorrhœagonorrhea (AmE)Greek γονόρροια (gonorrhoia)
homeomorphismhomœomorphismhomoeomorphism (BrE)From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + μορφος (morphos)
homeopathhomœopathhomoeopath (BrE)From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + πάθος (pathos)
homeostasishomœostasishomoeostasis (BrE)From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + στάσις (stasis)
homoeozoichomœozoichomeozoic (AmErare)From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + ζωικός (zōikos)
hors d'oeuvrehors d'œuvreFrench hors d'œuvre
logorrhoealogorrhœalogorrhea (AmE)From Greek
maneuvermanœuvremanoeuvre (BrE)French manœuvre, from Old French maneuvre, from Medieval Latin manuopera, from Latin manū operārī
oedemaœdema edema (AmE)
OedipusŒdipusOidipous, Oidipus (both rare)Greek Οἰδίπους (Oidipous)
oeilladeœillade
oenologyœnologyenology (AmE)From Greek οίνος (oinos) + λόγος (logos)
oenomelœnomel
oenotheraœnothera
oestrusœstrusestrus (AmE)Greek οἶστρος (oistros) ‘gadfly or frenzy’
oeuvreœuvreFrench œuvre, from Old French uevre, from Latin opera
onomatopoeiaonomatopœia
penologypœnology
PhoebePhœbe
phoenixphœnixphenix (rare)
subpoenasubpœnasubpena (rare)
tragedytragœdytragoedy

Notes

  1. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ The variants that change '-æ' or '-œ' to '-s' are not variants in spelling, but the same meaning of the word with a different way of forming plurals.
  2. ^ "caesium" (see article) is preferred by the IUPAC.

Also, ligatures may be used in personal names as well, i.e. Maecenus as Mæcenus, or Timothy as Timothæ, etc.

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