How to Write English Words in Thai Correctly

Confused by how to spell "Digital" or "Facebook" in Thai? Stop guessing. Here is the official reference tool that solves the loanword chaos.

If you’ve been learning Thai for a while, you’ve probably hit that moment of frustration where you try to write a simple English word in Thai script, and your teacher marks it wrong.

Or maybe you’ve noticed that half your Thai friends spell "Like" one way on Line, and the other half spell it differently on Facebook.

For the longest time, I thought it was just random. I mean, is "Digital" supposed to be ดิจิตอล (common) or ดิจิทัล (official)? Is "Software" ซอฟต์แวร์ or ซอฟแวร์?

It turns out, there is actually a right answer. And if you are writing anything formal—like a resume, a business presentation, or an academic paper—you can’t just spell it how it sounds.

The Cheat Sheet for "Loanwords"

I recently stumbled upon the Office of the Royal Society’s Transliteration Database, and it’s honestly a game-changer.

Think of the Royal Society as the "Grammar Police" of Thailand. They set the rules. While people on the internet spell things however they want, this website tells you exactly how an English word should be written in Thai according to the official guidelines.

Here is the link (Bookmark this!): 👉 https://transliteration.orst.go.th/search

Why You Need This

Let's be real—if you are just texting a friend, spelling "Computer" a bit wrong doesn't matter. But if you want to look professional, accuracy counts.

A lot of common spellings we see on signs or social media are actually "incorrect" by official standards.

• The Trap: Google Translate often gives you the popular spelling, not necessarily the standardized one.
• The Fix: This tool gives you the standardized version used in government and news.

How to Use It

• Click the link above.
• Type your English word in the search box (e.g., "Update").
• Hit search.
• It spits out the correct Thai spelling: อัปเดต (Not อัพเดท, which is what most people guess!)

The Bottom Line

Learning Thai is hard enough without having to guess how to spell words you already know in English. Use this site as your backup brain. It saves time, and it makes your written Thai look way more polished.

Happy studying!