syntax:

<< (word) >> = correct spelling

"(letters)"      = possibly: incorrect spelling, individual letter, Hebrew word, or vowel sound 

Rules and Conventions

Spelling

1. Capitalize Hashem’s name
   1. << Elowkeem, Adnus, Havayah >>, NEVER “Hashem”
      1. << LiAdnus, KAdnus, KiAdnus >>, << LaHavayah >>

2. Always spell out cheereek[1] with two e’s
   1. g. << Elowkeem >>
3. Use the letter “i” for shivu nu
   1. e.g. << Yeemsireim >>

4. Use an apostrophe to separate between vowels of two different nikoodose/syllables, but not between vowels of the same nikooduh, e.g. << Vi’eis, Hu’ore, Vihu’uretz >> VS. << Eitz >>

5. Use an apostrophe to represent guttural stops, e.g. << Vaye’tar >>
6. Use an apostrophe before a patach ginoovuh, e.g. << Viru’ach >>
7. Add an e at the end of a long vowel syllable, e.g. << Mi’ode >>
   1. g. << Sowhoo vuvowhoo >>
8. Use “ei” for tzeirei
9. Always use “u” for kumatz
   1. g. << huyisuh >>
10. If a word ends in "ה", add an “h” except if it is a kumatz aleph (see Rule 13)
    1. g. << Buruh >>
11. With no exception (see c.), a cholam is always written “ow” unless it ends a word ending in a consonant
    1. g. << eeshtow >> ends in a vowel, VS. << Mi’ode >> which ends in a consonant, so it receives an “e” (Rule 7)
    2. g. << chowshech >>
    3. You would have thought cases of exceptions would be words like “Vayomer” and “Elokeem”, because the o is followed by a consonant + ”e”, they are correctly written << Elowkeem >> and << Vayowmer >>
12. Proper nouns are Capitalized
    1. g. << Yeetzchuk >>, << Arum >>
13. If a word ends in a kumatz aleph or kumatz ayeen, it will end in a “u”
    1. g. << Vayeekru >>
14. Shoorook/Koobootz is always written “oo”
15. A word which ends in a patach yud (e.g. “mitzvosay”) will be a combination of patach and cheereek
    1. g. << Meetzivowsaee>>

Punctuation

• Esnachtu = << ; >>, Captialize and space after semicolon(e.g. << Elowkeem; Eis >>)
• Sofe-Pusook = << . >>
• Segole, Zukeif Kutone, and Zukeif Gudole[2] = << tove,_vayavdeil >> (notice space after comma)
• Makuf = << - >>, e.g << vayhee-erev >>

Sample Pisookeem:

Bireishees buruh Elowkeem; Eis hashumayeem vi'eis hu'uretz. Vihu'uretz huyisuh sowhoo vuvowhoo, vichowshech al pinei sihome; Viru’ach Elowkeem mirachefes al pinei hamuyim. Vayowmer Elowkeem yihee ore, vayhee ore. Vayar Elowkeem es hu'ore kee tove, vayavdeil Elowkeem bein hu'ore uvein hachowshech. Vayeekru Elowkeem lu'ore yome, vilachowshech kuru luyluh; Vayhee-erev vayhee-vowker, yome echud.

Eileh towlidose Yeetzchuk ben Avruhum; Avruhum howleed es Yeetzchuk. Vayhee Yeetzchuk ben arbu'eem shunuh, bikachtow es reevkuh bas bisoo'eil hu'aramee, meepadan Arum; Achos luvun hu'aramee low li'eeshuh. Vaye'tar Yeetzchuk LaHavayah Linowchach eeshtow, kee akuruh hee; Vayei'user low Havayah, vatahar Reevkuh eeshtow.

[1] Some distinguish between cheereek chaseir which sounds like a shivu nu and a cheerek mulei which sounds like a cheereek, though I prefer not to distinguish.

[2] I would have included teepichu, but it would have gotten too confusing