# Do you love words?



## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

Not every word can be "sounded out".

For the past 10 years or maybe longer, I've used a word, knowing what it means and yet not knowing how it is spelled.
It couldn't be sounded out.
Imagine years of being able to communicate this concept and only in talking and never in writing.......
So you call your friends and ask if they know how to spell it, you try every known method, google, dictionaries, to find the spelling and the answer is always..umm...I dunno.

Here it is:
*Tchotchke*

I came across it in a newspaper, I knew immediately what it was.
I love words, really love knowing them, learning them reading them, and this one has been flying under the radar for years.


http://wordsmith.org/words/tchotchke.html
I'm so relieved.
(I bet it is not even EVER used in Twitter (twit language) and auto-correct has never heard of it.)

Anyone else love words? Do you have any favorites? Do you love puns? ~Feather


----------



## SLFarmMI (Feb 21, 2013)

Feather In The Breeze said:


> Not every word can be "sounded out".
> 
> For the past 10 years or maybe longer, I've used a word, knowing what it means and yet not knowing how it is spelled.
> It couldn't be sounded out.
> ...


I love words too. Tchotchke is indeed a great word but it can be sounded out. Not trying to be a know it all but here's how. Tch is a legitimate spelling of the /ch/ sound (not generally used at the beginning of an English word but the origins of tchotchke allow it as a valid beginning spelling). The o in the word is followed by consonants making the first syllable a closed syllable thereby making the o have the short vowel sound. In the second syllable "ke" the e at the end makes it an open syllable (can't be a "silent e" syllable because it doesn't fit the criteria) thereby giving the e a long vowel sound. I LOVE phonics rules!


----------



## BigHenTinyBrain (Apr 4, 2013)

I have the opposite problem.... how the heck do you SAY tchotchke?


----------



## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

BigHenTinyBrain said:


> I have the opposite problem.... how the heck do you SAY tchotchke?


chÃ¤ch-k&#601;
short a and short a
though in our area we say it with a short a and long e


----------



## SLFarmMI (Feb 21, 2013)

One of my favorite words -- epitome.


----------



## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Mmmm...For me, it's the Latin/Greek plurals. 

formulae
foci
curricula
octopode


----------

