History Main / PhantasySpelling

* ''JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell'': The magical otherworld is spelled "Faerie", while its inhabitants are called "Fairies". (In English, at least. In their own language (which is apparently Irish), they're the Sidhe; their name for their homeland is never given.) This distinction is not uncommon in fantasy generally.

* {{Erfworld}} somewhat subverts this by [[ElmuhFuddSyndwome replacing many an 'r' with a 'w']], resulting in gwiffons, dwagons and spidews. When the protagonist makes note of this and asks if it shouldn't be "dragon" instead, the other characters seem to be quite weirded out by these "incredible stupid words" and state that they "really don't want to know what you call spidews in Stupidworld or whatever you call it". Note that "erf" sounds slightly like "earth". "earthworld"?

* CityOfHeroes' [[StupidJetpackHitler 5th Column]] / [[NoSwastikas Council]] Vampyri are explicitly stated not be "true" vampires but the end result of a super-soldier program.

!!Examples

*** Supplementary sources state that J.R.R. Tolkien discovered too late that "dwerrow" was an acceptable plural for "dwarf". Had he known that earlier he said he would have used it, and avoided the "dwarfs/dwarves" question. {{Dungeons and Dragons}} of course used "dwerrow" for their race of "dark dwarfs/dwarves".

* In ''Series/GameOfThrones'', knights are "Ser" not "Sir".

** Also, in the pilot there was an old-looking book titled ''Vampyr''.

** There's at least one of Creator/RudyardKipling's "Puck of Pook's Hill" stories, set in Sussex, where a farmer uses "Pharisees" in this sense.

* ''TheHouseOfNight'' series would like to remind you that their vampyres are in fact super special. They have [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial no association with feral, violent 'vampires']] of any sort. Spelling vampyre with a 'y' both differentiates from these completely imaginary creatures and creates a cozy learning environment. The House of Night would also like to wish you a nice day.

* ChristopherMoore's ''[[Literature/BloodsuckingFiends You Suck: A Love Story]]'' uses ''vampire'' most of the time, but switches to ''vampyre'' for Abby's diaries, to spoof how "gothic" she is.

* In GameOfThrones, knights are "Ser" not "Sir".

**** He did use "Dwarrowdelf" as a translation for ''Khazad-Dûm'', though.

* [[YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe As a way of implying ancientness]]. This is somewhat TruthInTelevision, because before spelling was codified words ''could'' be spelled in a number of different ways, though in modern fantasy it is often gratuitous and may not even reflect the way a word was really spelled in any ancient languages.

* ''TheHouseofNight'' series would like to remind you that their vampyres are in fact super special. They have [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial no association with feral, violent 'vampires']] of any sort. Spelling vampyre with a 'y' both differentiates from these completely imaginary creatures and creates a cozy learning environment. The House of Night would also like to wish you a nice day.

* ''DarkenedSkye'':

* In the latest ''Comicbook/TheTombOfDracula'' series, starring Marvel horror mainstay Blade, it's indirectly implied that a vamp''y''re is completely different from a vamp''i''re. From the context, they're apparently analogous to the real life vampire subculture, except they hobnob with actual vampires and are really obnoxious about it.

* In the latest ''TheTombOfDracula'' series, starring Marvel horror mainstay Blade, it's indirectly implied that a vamp''y''re is completely different from a vamp''i''re. From the context, they're apparently analogous to the real life vampire subculture, except they hobnob with actual vampires and are really obnoxious about it.

* Sometimes this applies even outside of the fantasy genre. In the [[FourX 4X]] strategy game ''{{Master of Orion}} II'', there is an energy weapon called a "phasor", an obvious {{Shout Out}} to ''Franchise/{{Star Trek}}'''s "phaser".
** Oddly, this may be a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], as "phasor" is actually a mathematical concept predating Star Trek.

** And "lyons," "sfinxes," and (in the ''FirebringerTrilogy'') "wyches."

* The eponymous being of Meredith Ann Pierce's TheDarkangelTrilogy is variously called darkangel, icarus or vampyre. As it turns out, a darkangel is a [[spoiler: human boy adopted by [[BigBad the witch]], raised as her son ''and'' lover. Eventually she drains his blood, gives him his wings, and gilds his heart with lead before sending him out to collect some souls for Mommy. When he succeeds, he flies home, Mommy drinks the souls like shots, as well as his own soul, which will make him a complete darkangel.]]

* In addition to the above vampire/vampyre example, various words in the Darkangel Trilogy have odd spellings, [[spoiler: which may be justified as corruptions of the original language of the Ancient Ones]]. Squatty underground-dwellers are [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame duaroughs]], big black birds are rhuks, scaly creatures are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dracgs]], and sweet pale-orange fruits are [[HowDoYouLikeThemApples apricoks]].

** Aside from the aforementioned corruptions, there is also the possibility that all of them would be, to us, {{BiologicalMashUp}}s which look sort of like their semi-namesakes. After all, the series also has [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation technicolor humans]], and remember that [[spoiler: the entire place was terraformed by the Ancient Ones from Oceanus.]]

* TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} in an odd mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Orks ''vs.'' Orcs, Psykers ''vs.'' Psychics, Daemons ''vs.'' Demons, etc.
** Daemon is the Latin spelling, which is understandable because the Imperial High Gothic language is CanisLatinicus. Of course, WarhammerFantasy likewise.
** Daemon comes from the Greek "Daimon", meaning minor immortal or spirit. It's the eventual root of the Christian concept of "Demon".
** The Eldar and Dark Eldar make liberal use of this: Vyper hover-tanks, Wych cults, Haemonculi...

* Also lampshaded in KimNewman's Literature/DiogenesClub story "The Gypsies in the Wood", featuring a series of children's stories about faeries (including ''The Aerie Faerie Annual''). One character rhetorically asks what's wrong with the word "fairy".