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ghoti

Pronunciation: /fɪʃ/

The English word “ghoti” has 2 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A constructed word said to be an alternative spelling of fish.
  2. A type of small Bengali waterpot used for washing.

Etymology

A jocular spelling of fish (/fɪʃ/) used to illustrate irregularities in English spelling: * gh, /f/ as in rough, /ɹʌf/; * o, /ɪ/ as in women, /ˈwɪm.ɪn/; and * ti, /ʃ/ as in nation, /ˈneɪ̯.ʃən/. Though frequently reported to be a coinage of George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), this term dates back to at least 1855. Although the goal of the word is to highlight the irregularities of the English…

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