cladonia
C-L-A-D-O-N-I-A
Said kla-DOH-nee-uh. In full, Cladonia rangiferina.
Reindeer lichen and the little red-tipped soldiers of heathland banks are both Cladonia. The k at the front is the whole problem: the sound is unambiguous and the letter is not the one you would reach for.
Why the sound and the spelling disagree
From the Greek klados, a branch, for the upright branching stalks the lichen sends up from its scaly base. Greek kappa is written c in Latin, so a name that opens with a clear k sound opens with the letter c.
A large genus of ground-dwelling lichens that grow as grey or green branching stalks, often forming deep springy mats on heath, dune and bog.
Spellings people type after hearing it
- cladaniaan unstressed vowel blurring
- kladoniac holding its k sound
- claduniaan unstressed vowel blurring
- claddoniaa doubled consonant under the stress
- cledoniaan unstressed vowel blurring
- cladonniaa doubled consonant under the stress
- cludoniaan unstressed vowel blurring
- cladeniaan unstressed vowel blurring
More in Lichens: hypogymnia, pseudevernia.