The phrase "by word of mouth" is often misspelled as "by work mouth". The correct spelling is /baɪ wɜrd əv maʊθ/. The IPA phonetic transcription helps to clarify the pronunciation of each phoneme in the phrase. The "w" sound is spelled with a "w", not a "k". The vowel sound in "word" is spelled with a "o", not a "u", and the final "th" sound in "mouth" is spelled with a "th", not a "d". So, it is by word of mouth, not by work mouth.