Japanese can't be as hard to learn to write as English, which has some patterns. Mr Bovill's correct point that English spelling is anarchic undermines claims by proponents of phonics, a system which politicians have unfortunately latched on to.

Paul Danon, London,

25% of the population are technically illiterate because they aren't very academic, are being badly taught and lack discipline in schools.
Too many airy-fairy ideas on what is taught in schools put forward by people who haven't actually done any teaching themselves- or are university professors.

R. Heys, Derby, Derbyshire

While many peoples advancement may be held back by a poor understanding of spelling and English, the nation as a whole, is held back by a relatively far worse understanding of mathematics.
Politicians and media presenters seem unable to relate to any mathematical concept beyond the trivial.

colin , Eastbourne, England

Although Mr. Bovill is wrong about the Japanese writing system, he may be right about English spelling being almost as difficult as learning Japanese. Although Japanese writing presents difficulties for the learner, in some respects it is more methodical and regular than English.

Chie, Tokyo, Japan

Mr Bovill is wrong about Japanese syllabaries: there are two, not three. He is also wrong to say that written English is almost as fraught with difficulty as Japanese. Chinese characters are vastly more complex and hard to memorise than the similar number of spelling cases in English he mentions.

Russell Colwell, Chiangmai, Thailand

Aoccdrnig to a rseearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Ellecxeant!

Lyn Watson, Bracknell, UK

25% of Britains are 'technically illiterate' because they have been let down by shoddy education and foolish, untested methods of teaching literacy. In the 1950s, the literacy rate was over 90% and the language has not become harder.

Roddy Campbell, Christchurch, New Zealand

Quirky spelling or not, English offers tremendous benefits. You can't play Scrabble, or Wheel of Fortune with Chinese characters. And crossword puzzles in Japanese?...forget about it.

Ras Jones, Ruston, USA

As one who picks up every misspelling with glee I am aware that I am one of a dying breed.In future I believe most people will write in txt and the ability to 'spell properly' will only be necessary for the very top jobs or will be considered somewhat quaint.

C mitchell, bridgwater, uk

The Finns may have it easy, but 'lucky'? I'm not so sure. Is their language as flexible, as fascinating, as rich and as revealing as English? Do their words spell out their history?

Most people are perfectly capable of attaining a good level of written English, if only it is expected of them.

Lyn, Birmingham, UK

Mr Bovill seems to have completely missed one of the the points in the article. The 'i' before 'e' mantra is debunked in the article much as he debunks it in his letter.

Peter Ryder, Middlewich, UK

The i before e with "ee" sound governs about 12 words: conceive, receive, deceive, perceive, ceiling etc.

But then: seize, protein, caffeine, codeine, weir, weird, seize, their.

Many other words have a combination of c,e,& i making a variety of sounds and contribute to the confusion.

Mitya Smith, London,

I am surprised that the chairman of "the Spelling Society" doesn't know that the rule is:

i before e except after c WHEN IT'S PRONOUNCED "EE".

To the rule there is only one exception you need to be seized of (or seised, if you're that way inclined - it's difficult to know which to chuse).

Nicholas Thorowgood, READING, UK

Government/commercial forms always insist that the required information be in BLOCK CAPITALS,why not just 'capital letters'. I make this correction on all the form I complete. Block capital are for sign writers

Jack, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

I have never beein quite sure what is meant by literacy as in a number of countries "literacy' is very high, but most ordinary people do not read books or newspapers. In my book (!), a literate person is one who reads books frequently and for pleasure. What else?

Brian Lewis, Manila, Philippines