SPELLING RULES
Four important rules make the spelling of Hawaiian words easy. If they are studied carefully, they can be learned by everyone.
- Every word must have at least one vowel.
- There are no consonant clusters.
- Words cannot end with a consonant. (This applies to the ‘okina also, because it is a consonant.)
- A kahakō occurs only over a vowel.
A common mistake of spelling is the writing of one word as two. This mistake occurs very often in reduplicated words.
| Wrong! | Right | |
| lau-lau | laulau | a kind of food |
| pū-pū | pūpū | food, snacks with drinks |
| mahi mahi | mahimahi | a fish |
| mu‘u mu‘u | mu‘umu‘u | type of dress |