Talk:teh

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Usage notes: Teh can be used in grammatically different ways than the word "the", in a similar way to the spanish word "el". For example, "He is teh stupid." is an acceptable sentence, whereas "He is the stupid." is not.

I don't think this is true. The regular "the" is used in the same way. Compare these Google searches:

Maybe that usage information should be moved to the, with a note saying that in that use it's often spelt "teh". /83.254.159.32 00:51, 27 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It says deliberate misspelling of the, but I find it I personally often unintentionally misspell it (typo), it should be made note of that it is not always intentional, and, if verifiable, that its etymology is that "the" has been simply misspelled a lot and the apparent change of spelling has influenced a separate usage from "the". — This unsigned comment was added by 69.144.44.8 (talk) at 19:56, 17 October 2008‎ (UTC).[reply]


I agree in that it almost definitely originated as a typo. And as with most things on the Internet, was probably mocked so much it became a meme. I'd continue to argue that memes are not words, and shouldn't be treated as such. (We going to add cheezburger now too?) — This unsigned comment was added by 108.35.239.91 (talk) at 15:44, 30 December 2011 (UTC).[reply]


Considering it is a deliberate misspelling, there is no proper usage — This unsigned comment was added by TheTimgor (talkcontribs) at 01:07, 9 May 2016‎ (UTC).[reply]

Applied to adjectives?[edit]

"For example, 'teh' can be applied to adjectives," In this use, it's an adverb, surely? Furthermore, what does it mean when used as such? Is there anybody familiar with this usage, who's in a position to go ahead and write a definition of it as an adverb? — Smjg (talk) 20:10, 5 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Am familiar with it from IRC and leetspeak a decade or two ago. I don't think it's an adverb. It isn't really anything, just a filler word. Equinox 01:05, 6 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]
"Filler word" is not a part of speech – grammatically such words are still adjectives, adverbs or whatever, regardless of whether they have any meaning. — Smjg (talk) 23:07, 24 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]

May 2019 deletion discussion[edit]

The following information has failed Wiktionary's deletion process.

It should not be re-entered without careful consideration.


As an actual misspelling of "the". @Dan Polansky points out that it is rare enough to be excluded under current policy. —Μετάknowledgediscuss/deeds 03:56, 14 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, I think the sense "Misspelling of the" can be deleted given the frequency ratio: the, (teh * 1000000) at Google Ngram Viewer; I think that frequency ratios rather than absolute frequencies are the proper measure of how common a misspelling is. However, the sense "Deliberate misspelling of the for humorous, sarcastic or facetious effect" should probably be kept. --Dan Polansky (talk) 06:43, 14 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Delete the misspelling sense; keep the "deliberate misspelling for effect" sense. In my opinion we should not have entries for accidental typos. Mihia (talk) 10:38, 14 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Mihia: I don't want to canvass, but please vote at Wiktionary:Votes/2019-03/Excluding typos and scannos. ChignonПучок 10:48, 14 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
ORLY the usage note?? Teh is sometimes used in deliberately grammatically incorrect ways compared to the word the. For example, teh can be applied to adjectives; "He is teh stupid" is an acceptable sentence, whereas ordinarily "He is the stupid" is not. --I learned some phrases (talk) 21:28, 14 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Can confirm. People used to talk this way for fun in IRC and chat rooms. Equinox 21:30, 14 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I question the usage note. Is "he is the stupid" really unacceptable any place that "he is teh stupid" isn't? "He is the stupid" strikes me as incorrect, but incorrect in a way an English speaker would use and be understood, on that marginal edge of the language where weird slang and odd poets hang out.--Prosfilaes (talk) 23:48, 20 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
But the "teh" thing was really a specific habit on Internet chat. "He is the stupid" never was, in my experience, and would have made "stupid" sound like a noun. Equinox 23:47, 21 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
As the original use was likely due to misspelling (confer for example, pwn) it should at least be mentioned as a root. Plus, it's not infrequent in dictionaries that give the words in chronological order (see OED) to see that this first definition is either archaic or obsolete. So, I'd keep it, but I'm not arguing for a strong keep Jim62sch (talk) 17:34, 17 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
If I understand your point correctly, I think that the present wording Deliberate misspelling of the ... satisfies your concerns. Mihia (talk) 23:58, 21 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]