Reading Unpointed Words

Recognize the Whole Word

Unpointed ספר can be a book, a barber, or the verb counted. In אני קוראת ספר, the sentence tells you it is a book. Full spelling helps you read, but it does not give every vowel its own letter.

Vowel Letters

ו often shows an o or u sound, as in בוקר and סוכה. י often shows an i sound, as in אישה. Both letters can also be consonants: י at the start of ילד sounds like y, and ו at the start of ורד (rose) sounds like v. Inside a word, a doubled וו or יי usually marks that consonant, as in עייף (tired). Academy spelling rules decide where these letters go, and they have exceptions, so learn standard spellings rather than adding a letter for every sound.

Do Not Just Remove the Marks

Pointed אִשָּׁה is normally written אישה in full unpointed spelling. Some names keep their traditional spelling. Writers sometimes point a single word that would otherwise be unclear, without pointing the rest of the text.