Editing SS (section)

===In pre-1996 orthography===
[[File:RechtschreibreformBeiStrassennamen.jpg|thumb|Replacement street sign in [[Aachen]], adapted to the 1996 spelling reform (old: {{lang|de|Kongreßstraße}}, new: {{lang|de|Kongressstraße}})]]
According to the orthography in use in German prior to the [[German orthography reform of 1996]], {{angbr|ß}} was written to represent {{IPA|de|s|}}:
#word internally following a long vowel or diphthong: {{lang|de|Straße}}, {{lang|de|reißen}}; and
#at the end of a syllable or before a consonant, so long as {{IPA|de|s|}} is the end of the word stem: {{lang|de|muß}}, {{lang|de|faßt}}, {{lang|de|wäßrig}}.<ref name="poschenrieder"/>{{rp|176}}
In the old orthography, [[word stem]]s spelled {{angbr|ss}} internally could thus be written {{angbr|ß}} in certain instances, without this reflecting a change in vowel length: {{lang|de|küßt}} (from {{lang|de|küssen}}), {{lang|de|faßt}} (from {{lang|de|fassen}}), {{lang|de|verläßlich}} and {{lang|de|Verlaß}} (from {{lang|de|verlassen}}), {{lang|de|kraß}} (comparative: {{lang|de|krasser}}).<ref name="augst"/>{{rp|121-23}}<ref name="munske">{{cite book|last=Munske |first=Horst Haider|title=Lob der Rechtschreibung: Warum wir schreiben, wie wir schreiben |publisher=C. H. Beck |year=2005 |isbn=3-406-52861-9 |page=66}}</ref> In rare occasions, the difference between {{angbr|ß}} and {{angbr|ss}} could help differentiate words: {{lang|de|Paßende}} (expiration of a pass) and {{lang|de|passende}} (appropriate).<ref name="poschenrieder"/>{{rp|178}}

[[File:ABSCHUSZGERAET.jpg|thumb|Capitalization as SZ on a [[Bundeswehr]] crate ({{lang|de|ABSCHUSZGERAET}} for the pre-reform spelling {{lang|de|Abschußgerät}} 'launcher')]]
As in the new orthography, it was possible to write {{angbr|ss}} for {{angbr|ß}} if the character was not available. When using all capital letters, the pre-1996 rules called for rendering {{angbr|ß}} as {{angbr|SS}} except when there was ambiguity, in which case it should be rendered as {{angbr|SZ}}. The common example for such a case is {{lang|de|IN MASZEN}} ({{lang|de|in Maßen}} "in moderate amounts") vs. {{lang|de|IN MASSEN}} ({{lang|de|in Massen}} "in massive amounts"); in this example the spelling difference between {{angbr|ß}} vs. {{angbr|ss}} produces completely different meanings.{{cn|date=August 2023}}