ghoti

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.^[1]

• (intended)
  • enPR: fĭsh, IPA^(key): (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada, General Australian, Scotland, India) /fɪʃ/, (New Zealand) /fəʃ/

  • Audio (UK):

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  • Audio (US):

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  • Audio (General Australian):

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  • Rhymes: -ɪʃ
  • Homophones: fish, phish
  • Hyphenation: ghoti
• (common)
  • enPR: gō′tē, IPA^(key): (Received Pronunciation) /ˈɡəʊ̯.tiː/, (General American, Canada) /ˈɡoʊ̯.ti/, (General Australian) /ˈɡəʉ̯.tiː/, (New Zealand) /ˈɡɐʉ̯.tiː/, (Scotland) /ˈɡo.ti/, (India) /ˈɡoː.ʈiː/
  • Rhymes: -əʊtiː
  • Hyphenation: gho‧ti

ghoti (plural ghoti or ghoties)

2. (humorous, nonstandard, rare) A constructed word said to be an alternative spelling of fish.
   • 2010 June 25, Ben Zimmer, “2010-06-25”, in The New York Times Magazine‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 5 July 2018:

     Robinson suggested to me that William Ollier could have come up with ghoti in a parlor game of Ellis-inspired silly spellings.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:ghoti.

• The term is often mentioned and discussed, but very rarely used; see: Use–mention distinction on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• “ghoti”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.