The S in Island Was Added by Mistake
An island is land surrounded by water. The S in the spelling is a scholarly error that never got corrected.
An island is a piece of land surrounded by water. The S does not belong there: Old English had *iegland*, with no S at all. Renaissance scholars wrongly assumed a connection with the French-derived *isle*, from Latin *insula*, and inserted the letter to match. The mistake stuck and is now unremovable.
- Land surrounded by water. *A small island.*
- Anything isolated. *A traffic island.*
- Kitchen island — a freestanding unit. *A kitchen island.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | island | A rocky island. |
| Plural | islands | Offshore islands. |
| Person | islander | A lifelong islander. |
| Related | isle | The British Isles. |
| Related | insular | An insular attitude. |
How it is used in a sentence
- No man is an island.John Donne.
- Insular means island-like.And narrow-minded.
- A traffic island is not surrounded by water.Figurative use.
Spellings changed by scholars
- island — S added by false analogy with isle
- debt — B added to match Latin *debitum*
- doubt — B added from Latin *dubitare*
- scissors — C added from a mistaken Latin link
- receipt — P added from Latin *recepta*
From Old English *iegland*, from *ieg*, island, and *land*. The S was inserted in the sixteenth century by analogy with *isle*.
Why is the S silent?
Because it was never pronounced. Scholars added it to the spelling in the sixteenth century on a mistaken assumption.
Are other silent letters like this?
Yes. The B in debt and doubt and the P in receipt were all added to make English words look more Latin.