How Do You Spell Stomach?

  • Eseandre Mordi

  • 14 Feb 2024

Mastering the English language includes knowing the correct spelling of words that we frequently use. This article focuses on a particularly commonly used word: "stomach". Despite its frequency in our daily vocabulary, the correct spelling of "stomach" trips up many. Here, we provide insights and techniques to nail the spelling every single time.

Correct Spelling of Stomach

The correct spelling of the word is stomach. It consists of 7 letters: S-T-O-M-A-C-H. The spelling does not vary and remains constant in all English usage contexts, making it vital to remember it as is. This word derives from Middle English, historically spelled as "stomachus" or even "stomak", which might cause confusion about its current spelling.

How Can Remember the Correct Spelling

A helpful mnemonic for "stomach" is to break the word down into smaller parts: "stom" sounds like "stomp", which you do with your feet, and "ach" sounds like "ache", a common condition for a stomach in distress. Hence, "stom-ach" can be remembered as the stomp causing an ache.

Common Spelling Mistakes

  • Stomache: Adding an unnecessary 'e' at the end, perhaps confusing it with words that are spelled with an 'e' at the end to soften the preceding consonant sound.
  • Stumach: Misinterpreting the 'o' as a 'u', likely due to incorrect phonetic guess.
  • Stomack: Replacing the 'ch' with 'ck', a common mistake due to the similarity in sound between 'ck' and 'ch'.

These spellings are considered incorrect as they do not conform to the established orthography of the English language for the word "stomach".

Definition and Etymology of Stomach

The word stomach primarily refers to the internal organ in humans and other animals, which is part of the digestive system. Secondly, it can denote a person's appetite for food. The etymology of "stomach" traces back to the Latin "stomachus", meaning "gullet" or "throat", and further to the Greek "stoma" meaning "mouth" or "opening". This historical context provides insight into how the term evolved from describing a part of the throat to its current meaning related to digestion.

Transcription of Stomach

The phonetic transcription of "stomach" in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is /ˈstʌm.ək/. Here, the "st" represents the initial consonant sounds, followed by the "ʌ" sound, analogous to the 'u' in "up", and ending with the "mək" sound, capturing the final part of the word. This transcription aids in understanding the pronunciation apart from the spelling.

Examples of Using of Stomach

  • He has a strong stomach and can eat almost anything without feeling sick.
  • She felt a sharp pain in her stomach after eating the expired food.
  • I can't stomach horror movies; they make me too scared.

FAQ

What does the word mean? 
It refers to the digestive organ or one's ability or inclination to eat or tolerate something.

Words Closely Related: abdomen, belly, gut.

Synonyms: tummy, abdomen, gut.

Difference in American and British Versions

There is no variation between American and British spelling for the word "stomach". It remains consistently spelled in both varieties of English. However, pronunciation and colloquial usage may slightly differ, with "tummy" being more commonly used in British English as a diminutive form.

In Which Academic Dictionaries You Can Find This Word

  1. Oxford English Dictionary
  2. Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  3. Cambridge Dictionary


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