The shapes of letters were not always so distinct as they are in print, so that copyists of the time, and even modern editors, are liable to mistake one letter for another. Each hand has its own weaknesses, but the letters most commonly misread are:—
e : o e.g. Beuo for Bouo I 59; wroche for wreche II 333; teches IV b 60, where toches (Footnote) is probably right; pesible (MS. posible) XI b 67.
u : n (practically indistinguishable) e.g. menys (MS. mouys) XVI 301; skayned (edd. skayued) V 99; ryueȝ or ryneȝ V 222 (note). This is only a special case of the confusion of letters and combinations formed by repetition of the downstroke, e.g. u, n, m, and i (which is not always distinguished by a stroke above). Hence dim II 285 where modern editors have dun, although i has the distinguishing stroke.
y : þ e.g. ye (MS. þe) XIV d 11; see note to XV a 12. Confusion is increased by occasional transference to þ of the dot which historically may stand over y. ȝ for þ initially, as in XVI 170, is more often due to confusion of the letters þ: y and subsequent preference of ȝ for y in spelling (§ 5 i) than to direct confusion of þ: ȝ, which are not usually very similar in late Middle English script.
þ : h e.g. doþ (MS. doh) XV b 22; and notes to XII b 116, XVI 62.
b : v e.g. vousour (edd. bonsour) II 363.
c : t e.g. cunesmen (edd. tunesmen) XV g 6 (note); top (edd. cop) ibid. 16; see note to XIII a 7.
f : ſ (= s) e.g. slang (variant flang) X 53.
l : ſ (= s) e.g. al (edd. as) II 108.
l : k e.g. kyþeȝ (MS. lyþeȝ) VI 9.