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@ 25/09/08 – 22:26:49
All these pairs (and even triples) are pronounced the same and yet are spelled differently:
Profit prophet
Sole soul
Tide tied
So sew
Bow bough
Ruff rough
Coda coder
Toad towed
Rime rhyme
To too two (tutu)
Load lode lowed
Sea see
Lade laid
Spade spayed
Sow sough
Rote wrote
Tort taught
Blue blew
Loos lose
Boos booze
Days daze
Lays laze
Rays raze
Links Lynx
Sloe slow
Toe tow
Shoe shoo
Lye lie li
Thai tie
Side sighed
Bode bowed
Rode rowed
Cheers, Tom.
Zappy5971
SeasideMan
Pro Yes indeedy! As well as the spelling, English also apparently has more irregular verbs than any other language and more words than any other language too.
A nightmare to learn!
Tom.
Maid, Made.
Told, Tolled.
There's loads!
There, their, they're!
SeasideMan
Pro More excellent examples, ta and tar for them.
Tom.
The_Walrus
Pro I'm saying nothing. I wish I could remember why, though.
SeasideMan
Pro I think you spoke pretty clearly...
The_Walrus
Pro Clarity without meaning... a bit like French philosophers. Oops, did I say that?
SeasideMan
Pro Hehe - clarity without meaning and said in 500,000 long words where 5,000 shorter ones would do.
Tom.
The_Walrus
Pro Levi-Strauss.
Goodnight!
MissyMouse
Aaargh....just think how kids feel trying to learn all this stuff!
SeasideMan
Pro I agree. I wonder if it's still taught phonetically like it was in my day. That caused some people hideous problems later when they had to learn to spell the words correctly.
Tom.
carlosf
Yes, and thanks to OED accepting street slang as part of the English language, it's still evolving.
And then there's the argument I had on a camera site with an American regarding the spelling of maths. His reply was that it was only spelt that way by a minority.... Wish I'd got copyright on the language, I'd sue the beggars! 
SeasideMan
Pro I didn't know the OED had done that, but I suppose they have to. After all, they have to record the language not define it...(unfortunately?).
I guess the American preferred "math"?
Tom.
carlosf
Well, it's not like they leave out letters in other words is it?
Adds a bit of color! 
SeasideMan
Pro I see that's a favorite!
Tom.
jenray
Pro And you're using the American spelling of favourite...LOL...damn confusing all round...GHBs...XX
antlady69
Pro Spelling is one thing (although I didn't find it so difficult to learn) but pronunciation another:
how - bowl
James - Thames
though - through
and there are many many more. What throws me off most are British town or county names (e.g. Worcester)
SeasideMan
Pro My home county of Lincolnshire has some terribly difficult place names. Guessing them correctly is quite unlikely!
Tom.
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And then people wonder why When they go abroad and people don't speak English to them. Er, maybe, just maybe it's a difficult language?