>>
>> Hmm, let's see... It has an accented letter in it. And pronunciation is
>> nothing like its spelling. Yeah, I'd hazard a guess it's French. :-P
>>
>
> As if english pronounciation had any thing to do with the spelling!
>
> Why isn't foot pronounced like boot, hoot, and toot?
> Why isn't put pronounced like but, hut and rut?
> Why isn't bomb pronounced like tomb or womb?
> Why isn't "ough" always pronounced the same?

As far as I can tell, the answer to most of these has to do with the 
first mechanical printing presses, and their inability to print certain 
vowels clearly. Thus, the first printers arbitrarily changed certain 
words spellings. (Apparently before printed type, "standard" spellings 
did not exist. People just made them up as the went along.)

Then there was the time that all the rich inhabitants of England 
actually spoke French, and only the peasants spoke English...

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