I have come to notice a common preference in England for the spelling 'loath' over 'loth' (meaning 'disinclined'). I have always used the latter, following the general distinction between words that end in 'th' having that consonant unvoiced (rhyming with 'both') as against the verb 'loathe' (meaning 'intensely hate') which has the voiced consonant. However, I should not be pedantic because the addition of 'a' in the spelling usually does not disturb the application of the rule that it be unvoiced if no 'e' is added. Are 'loth' and 'loath' (as the adjective meaning 'disinclined') pronounced unvoiced in America? Indeed, a look in the dictionary shows that 'loath' -- with the unvoiced consonant -- has for a long time been used for the 'disinclined' meaning, presumably because of the semantic association between 'disinclined' and 'intensely hate'. Elsewhere the addition of 'e' (or 'er' or 'ern') does signal the voiced consonant (as well as change in the pronunciation of the vowel). The 'reverse dictionary' gives a long list, but here are a few examples: bath - bathe breath - breathe broth - brother cloth - clothe heath - heather lath - lathe, lather south - southern, southerly wreath - wreathe megalith - lithe moth - mother rath (Celtic earthwork) - rather sheath - sheathe sooth (obs. 'truth') - soothe teeth - teethe (cf. seethe) There are a few anomalies: VOICED (without added 'e' or 'er') bequeath booth, tolbooth mouth (verb meaning 'speak exaggeratedly') smooth (adj.) with (same as 'wither'), and 'wherewith', herewith', etc. UNVOICED (with added 'e' or 'er') absinthe anther ether (compare voiced 'either') lethal, Lethe nepenthe panther Edmond Dr. Edmond Wright 3 Boathouse Court Trafalgar Road Cambridge CB4 1DU England Email: [log in to unmask] Website: http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/elw33/ Phone [00 44] (0)1223 350256 To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/