# Phhhht! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 22, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471 "2006-11-22T21:40:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/1 "2006-11-22T21:40:16Z")
As I understand it, _“phhhht”_, when written in prose, is meant to represent the raspberry sound. But, when you read it, does your mind’s ear hear it as the classical raspberry/Bonx cheer, or as a softer sound, closer to the way it is written? Is _“phhhht”_, in fact a sound effect whose pronunciation is contingent upon context? Consider the following two sentences: As Billy inserted the lit bottle rocket into the Pepsi bottle’s orifice, all of a sudden, _PHHHHT_, it shot right in his eye. As Dr. Bill inserted his lubricated finger into the patient’s bottom oriface, all of a sudden, _PHHHHT_, it shot right in his eye. Do you hear _Phhhht_ the same way in both sentences? I always hear it with the softer pronunciation, despite the context. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/2 "2006-11-22T22:07:52Z")
Thpppppt! ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/3 "2006-11-22T22:37:17Z")
I’m hearing _foooot_ with my “mind’s ear”, the “o’s” being silent and short. Perhaps the insertion of an “s’” somewhere would provide a better approximation of the sound, especially in the latter example. _phshht_. That one would make me duck and leave the room. Q ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/4 "2006-11-22T22:43:00Z")
I write it as pbbbbt! instead of phhhht! for the raspberry sound. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/5 "2006-11-22T22:48:39Z")
Or maybe not. Sorry, OP. Completely missed the fact that you were going for the raspberry. Don’t know **how** I’d make that sound, but _phhhhht_ sure as hell isn’t right. Maybe an **r** to make it sound like phhhhhhrrrrrt (fart)? Q ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/6 "2006-11-22T22:59:26Z")
pbllllllt! :þ ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/7 "2006-11-23T04:23:48Z")
[QUOTE=Daithi Lacha] pbllllllt! :þ [/QUOTE] Yep. You deffinatly need some "L"s in there. “Phhhht” is the sound of a lit cigarette being dropped in the toilet. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/8 "2006-11-23T06:21:05Z")
The only way to spell out the sound is pbbth. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/9 "2006-11-23T07:25:03Z")
I hear an aeresol spray when I read “Phhhht”. ---
**Author:** ![auRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@auRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auRa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/10 "2006-11-23T11:55:26Z")
The “Phhhht” sounds more like air being let out in a steady stream. Whenever I think of the raspberry sound, I think more of a Bill-Watterson-esque “Thbpbpbphtht!” Go [here](http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/cat_cartoon_raspberries.php) for more written depictions of the Bronx cheer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/11 "2006-11-23T12:56:34Z")
There’s a country song called “I’d have wrote you a letter, but I couldn’t spell \” Problem is, several websites mention the song (usually in a list of worst-ever country song titles, or similar), but all of them have the last word as “yuck”, whereas he quite clearly blows a raspberry on the record. Anybody know how it’s spelled on the record or sheet music? Or who recorded it? ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/12 "2006-11-23T14:36:13Z")
Indeed, there appears to be quite a large variety of spellings for the lowly raspberry. In the spirit of literary excellence and continuity, I propose that a single spelling be chosen as the standard. Can you think of any other words or sounds with as many alternate spellings? I can’t. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phhhht/381471/13 "2006-11-23T15:33:17Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] Thpppppt! [/QUOTE] Thphphphphphphpt!