Friday, September 08, 2006

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 10): O as in FISH

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 10): O as in FISH:
Q: In most words containing the letter 'O' between two consonants, the O is either pronounced as a long O or a short O. Can you name a common word in which O appears between two consonants and the O is pronounced like a short 'i'?
You can easily get this if you think a little. I'll explain the title after the deadline has passed.

Edit: Okay, time to reveal the meaning of the title. English pronunciation has all sorts of anomalies. Someone said it is so confusing. We have GH sounding like F in ENOUGH, O sounding like I in WOMEN, and TI sounding like SH in ACTION. Wouldn't that make GHOTI a valid way to spell fish? Anyway, that was the clue to the answer.
A: WOMEN ('wi-m&n)

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