Philadelphia is difficult to spell

This paper is officially devoted to the analysis of 'Philadelphia is difficult to spell'. I challenge what I call the Mention Hypothesis, namely the notion that the expression 'Philadelphia' must be mentioned at a level suitable for the interpretation of that sentence. After the exploration of two use-based alternatives, I proceed to the defence of a Contextual Hypothesis. I conclude with a discussion of the consequences of the Contextual Hypothesis, its theoretical implementation, and its relationships with other semantics matters.