Voynich ManuscriptF-119
Evidence · Voynich Manuscript
46 spelling changes at the edges of lines
The scribes wrote a line-edge layer of 46 minimal spelling changes, learned on half E: a gallows (p, t, k, f) before the first word of a paragraph, one of s, y, d, t, o before the first word of other lines, and -m (less often -g, -d) for -r, -l, -in, -iin, -n at the end of a line. 42 of 46 replicate on half C.
What it means
Most likelyunchanged
Most likelyunchanged
Answer this evidence bears on-m is a line-final form of -in / -n
Supportsweighs heavily · 2 for, none against
Most likelyunchanged
Answer this evidence bears onA gallows glyph (t/k, Currier P/F) opens each entry as a discourse particle.
Supportsweighs some · 2 for, none against
Most likelyunchanged
Answer this evidence bears onHeavily abbreviated Latin or vernacular
Supportsweighs little · 6 for, 3 against
Still possibleunchanged
Answer this evidence bears onLatin or a vernacular under a table cipher
Counts againstweighs little · 6 for, 8 against
Still possibleunchanged
Answer this evidence bears onThe scribes followed a line-edge convention
Supportsweighs heavily · 2 for, none against
Most likelyunchanged
Next steps 6
1
ACH sensitivity without a second rater: drop each finding in turn and shift each diagnosticity one step, and report which rankings move. A blinded rating by an independent model run, clearly labelled as such, can stand in until a person rates.
~4 h
—not judged
2
Add human-made meaningless text (the Gaskell and Bowern 2022 samples) as a null text in the battery and the signature tests.
~6 h
—not judged
3
Earlier readings register: enter the 2017-2026 decipherment claims (Gibbs, Cheshire, Hannig, Ardiç, Caspari 2025, Piesiak 2025, the Pahlavi hypothesis) as hypotheses with their published rebuttals, and test every claim that states a key on held-out pages.
~10 h
—not judged
4
Second rater for every evidence link, then ACH sensitivity (drop each finding, compare raters).
~6 h
—not judged
Ranked by how likely each is to move the key question, for the time it takesAll 6 on the question
How it was found 2 runs
Half-E line-edge rules that replicate on half C (ratio >= 2, z >= 3)42 of 46Supported
Minimal line-edge alternations kept on half E (share at the edge >= 3x inside, >= 15 stems, z >= 5)46 rules: paragraph start p-, t-, k-, f-; line start s-, y-, d-, t-, o-, p-; line end -m for -r, -l, -in, -iin, -n, -ir, -dy, -y; -g for -r, -l; -d for -rExplored
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). 46 spelling changes at the edges of lines [Evidence EVD0DCC12KJ6WS5]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DCC12KJ6WS5
@misc{mysteriesdept_evd0dcc12kj6ws5,
title = {46 spelling changes at the edges of lines},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Evidence, catalog key EVD0DCC12KJ6WS5},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DCC12KJ6WS5}
}