Vowels and Diphthongs
The vowel sounds in Scottish Standard English (SSE) man, pen, bit and bus, are usually spelled simply a, e, i and u. For other vowels and diphthongs, the following spellings are found:
 or  | as in SSE caught | can be spelled | -au- | glaur |
| -aw- | braw | |||
| -aa- | faap |
For some words, 3 variants spelled -a, -aw and -aa are possible: a, aw, aa (all); ca, caw, caa; fa, faw, faa.
 | as in SSE gate | can be spelled | -ae- | brae, shae |
| -ai- | sair | |||
| -a-e- | hame |
The -ae ending is used to represent the sound in negative verb endings, eg cannae, dinnae, winnae, and in the suffix -fae (= English '-ful'), eg carefae, moothfae.
 | as in SSE seen | can be spelled | -ei- | dreich |
| -ie- | scrieve | |||
| -ee- | flee | |||
 | as in SSE coat | can be spelled | -o- | stot (in some dialects) |
| -oa- | boak | |||
| -o-e- | thole | |||
 | as in SSE shoe | can be spelled | -ou- | drouth, toun |
| -oo- | coo | |||
 | can be spelled | -ui- | spuin, buik | |
| -u-e- | guse | |||
 | as in SSE cow | can be spelled | -ow- | dowp, gowd |
| -owe | in final position: growe, thowe, lowe | |||
| -ou- | also possible in: cowp / coup, lowp / loup, smowt / smout | |||
  | as in SSE eye | can be spelled | -y-e- | kye |
| -i-e- | guise, rise | |||
 | as in SSE bite | can be spelled | -y-e- | gyte, byke |
| -i-e- | jine | |||
| -ey- | gey | |||
 | as in SSE feud | can be spelled | -eu- | teuch |
