[masraum]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

Given how complicated languages are and how very strange some spellings are I would not equate IQ and spelling. Education may be a part of it. However, try explaining why "there" and "their" sound the same to a nonnative English speaker. Or why "beer" and "ear" and "bare" and "bear" sound the same.

Then there are languages in which some words contain letters / phonemes that don't appear in pronunciation. It can make you dizzy.

Yes, spelling is, I believe, primarily based on education, and then only in a person's native language. Anyone communicating in a non-native language should be given a pass on spelling, grammar, syntax, etc...