Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

chees and chaws

/t͡ʃiːz ənd t͡ʃɔːz/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: chees and chaws
IPA: /t͡ʃiːz ənd t͡ʃɔːz/

27

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The sounds made in Italianate pronunciation of Latin.

Dated; Derogatory

Example Sentences

"[…] a quite recent notice in The Times of a Bach performance at the Albert Hall by a famous society regretted that, at this time of day, the “chees and chaws” of Italian pronunciation should be offered to an audience."
"The Italian pronunciation of Latin with ch instead of c, benedichere for benedicere, became fashionable and was mocked by conservative Catholics as chees and chaws."
"“[…] Wouldn’t you think they’d get the Latin right first. The inflexion one sometimes hears is deplorable. All chees and chaws like an ice-cream vendor out of Napoli.”"

Etymology

Onomatopoeic, from the Italianate pronunciation of c as /t͡ʃ/ (“ch”) before i and e.

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /t͡ʃiːz ənd t͡ʃɔːz/

Usage

Questions

How do you pronounce chees and chaws?: The recorded pronunciation is /t͡ʃiːz ənd t͡ʃɔːz/.
What does chees and chaws mean?: The sounds made in Italianate pronunciation of Latin.
Where does chees and chaws come from?: Onomatopoeic, from the Italianate pronunciation of c as /t͡ʃ/ (“ch”) before i and e.

How to pronounce chees and chaws

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “chees and chaws”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/t͡ʃiːz ənd t͡ʃɔːz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “chees and chaws”.
Repeat and practice — Say “chees and chaws” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.