Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
Reply
  
FIDO Login/Join
 
Member
posted November 26, 2006 14:38
Last Saturday I suggested a word game for times when you are really, really bored on long car trips. See how many ways the people in the car can spell a word phonetically. The classic example is FIDO. Fido is a generic name for a dog in the US but no one ever names a dog Fido. Nevertheless, it can be spelled at least 54 ways. Can you get 54 or can you suggest another challenging word?
 
Posts: 143Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of Kalleh
posted November 26, 2006 19:38Hide Post
I will try a few, but I am sure I can't get 54! BTW, I do know someone who named his dog Fido.

phy-doe
f-eye-doe
ph-eye-doh
fy-doh
fy-doe

Is that what you mean? I am not sure how you can get 54.
 
Posts: 24735 | Location: Chicago, USAReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted November 26, 2006 20:17Hide Post
fydough
fyedough
phydough
 
Posts: 3737 | Location: Georgia, USAReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of BobHale
posted November 27, 2006 02:01Hide Post
ghighddeau


"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
 
Posts: 9423 | Location: EnglandReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of Caterwauller
posted November 27, 2006 03:23Hide Post
fayedo
fayedough
fayedoe
fayedoh
phayedo
phayedough
phayedoe
phayedoh


*******
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
~Dalai Lama
 
Posts: 5149 | Location: Columbus, OhioReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted November 27, 2006 05:40Hide Post
The paradigmatic way-out spelling is "Phydeau" (or sometimes "-x").

(...by the same people who bring you your morning cup of kawphy)
 
Posts: 6282 | Location: Worcester, MA, USReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of BobHale
posted November 27, 2006 05:44Hide Post
Let's analyse

FIDO

ways to write the F

f
ph
gh (as in rough)

ways to writh the I
i
y
ai
ay
aye
eye
igh (as in high)
is (as in island)
ye (as in bye)
ei (heirarchy)
ie (pie)

ways to write D

I can only think of

d
dd

ways to write O

o
oh
ough
oe
eau
ow
ew (sew, thanks neveu)
owe (thanks jo)
oa (boat)
au (au contraire)
ot (Merlot)

If anyone has any to add please do.
Combinations of the above.

3x11x2x11=726

This message has been edited. Last edited by: BobHale, November 27, 2006 13:49


"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
 
Posts: 9423 | Location: EnglandReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted November 27, 2006 10:36Hide Post
quote:
ways to write D

I can only think of

d
dd


tt as in little; for "O" ew as in sew (Midwestern American accent, at least).
 
Posts: 1242 | Location: San FranciscoReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of BobHale
posted November 27, 2006 11:45Hide Post
tt? anyone agree? they're different in my accent.

ew, now added to the count


"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
 
Posts: 9423 | Location: EnglandReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted November 27, 2006 12:04Hide Post
not to pick nits or anything, while I saw "ow" listed, I didn't see "owe."
 
Posts: 915 | Location: IowaReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of BobHale
posted November 27, 2006 12:19Hide Post
and the count just keeps on climbing


"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
 
Posts: 9423 | Location: EnglandReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted November 27, 2006 12:58Hide Post
Can we use French loan (there's another O) words? Au contraire? Merlot?
 
Posts: 1242 | Location: San FranciscoReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of arnie
posted November 28, 2006 02:29Hide Post
If we're using French -eau endings for O, how about the plural, -eaux?


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
 
Posts: 10940 | Location: LondonReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted November 30, 2006 09:10Hide Post
Wow! I didn't think I would generate so much interest wih Fido. I loved all your suggestions. Missann
 
Posts: 143Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted November 30, 2006 09:25Hide Post
Since Bob Hale calculated 726, I counted 8 suggestions. I didn't understant the tt so I didn't count that. Thus 726x 8 variables = 5,808.
That's impressive when you consider that a dog doesn't know he has a name. He is just dogto himself.
 
Posts: 143Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted December 03, 2006 09:22Hide Post
The tau, as in Asian philosophy, is pronounced DOW. Can we use t for a d sound?
 
Posts: 143Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted December 03, 2006 10:36Hide Post
hello to all. When i'm at work i send text messages to my wife on our cell phone. if I sent her "fido bit me", I would type 3436 248 63. that is fido spelled 3436.
 
Posts: 30Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted December 06, 2006 21:58Hide Post
Hi, what would Michelle Pfeiffer say if she was asked? "pf" sounds like "f" (like in swimming, the p is silent). this sounds like a valid addition to me.
 
Posts: 30Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted December 07, 2006 00:21Hide Post
quote:
this sounds like a valid addition to me.

Sounds pfine to me, too.
 
Posts: 1242 | Location: San FranciscoReply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted December 12, 2006 08:26Hide Post
I accept tt as in little, which I had questioned above, and tau as in Asian pholosophy and pf as in Pfeiffer, bringing the total to 46,400. Now am I pushing it to ask you to accept th as a d sound, as in Brooklyn, where they say dese and dose for these and those? I'm not sure how to count lop's 3436 but it is clever.
 
Posts: 143Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted January 05, 2007 14:41Hide Post
A few more from the MW dictionary

gaff
calf

geyser
coyote

dhow
seemed
could

pharaoh
yeoman
brooch
boulder
quahog
cupola


Myth Jellies
Cerebroplegia--the cure is within our grasp
 
Posts: 473Reply With QuoteReport This Post
  Powered by Social Strata  
 


Copyright © 2002-12