Dictionary.com

eye dialect

noun

the literary use of misspellings that are intended to convey a speaker's lack of education or use of humorously dialectal pronunciations but that are actually no more than respellings of standard pronunciations, as wimmin for “women,” wuz for “was,” and peepul for “people.”

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Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
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Compare pronunciation spelling.

Origin of eye dialect

First recorded in 1920–25

usage note for eye dialect

Eye Dialect is used as a label for such misspellings in this dictionary.

Words nearby eye dialect

eye-catching, eye chart, eye contact, eyecup, eyed, eye dialect, eyedness, eye doctor, eye dog, eyedropper, eye drops
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020