The spelling of the word "focht" is unusual, but it can be explained with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The word is derived from Middle English and means "fought." The IPA transcription of "focht" is /fɔxt/, indicating that the sound "ou" in "fought" shifted to the sound "o" over time. This change is known as the great vowel shift that occurred in English during the 15th and 16th centuries. While "focht" might be perceived as an archaic spelling, its pronunciation remains the same as "fought."