Scriptio continua
Unlike most modern languages, Thai is still written without punctuation or spaces most of the time. Only clauses, rather than single words or phrases, are set apart by spaces. Since Thai has strict syllable structure rules, trained readers of Thai can recognize single words even without spaces. The syllable structure of a Thai word is C¹(C²)V(C³), which means that only two consonants can come before the vowel and one consonant can come after the vowel. For example, the clause สวัสดีครับ s(à)wàtdeekráp is made of four syllables, but if they were written with spaces between syllables, it would be written as ส วัส ดี ครับ s(à) wàt dee kráp. The syllable structure of the four words in the same order are