Pronunciation: [hˈɒkɪ] (IPA) 
The spelling of the word "hockey" is sometimes confusing due to the silent "e." In IPA phonetic transcription, it is pronounced /ˈhɒki/ with an "h" sound at the beginning, followed by a short "o" sound, a hard "k" sound, and a long "e" sound at the end. The silent "e" serves as a marker for the long vowel sound. Despite its tricky spelling, hockey remains a beloved sport played in many countries around the world.
Hockey is a competitive team sport that is played on ice or on a field, typically involving two teams with a varying number of players, depending on the specific variant. The objective of the game is to maneuver a small, hard rubber disk called a puck, using sticks, into the opposing team's net or goal, in order to score points.
In ice hockey, the most popular form of the sport, two teams of six players compete against each other on an ice rink. The players use specially designed ice hockey sticks to control the puck, passing it between teammates to advance towards the opposing team's goal. The team that successfully shoots the puck into the opposition's net, more times than their opponents, wins the game.
Besides ice hockey, other versions of the sport include field hockey, which is played on grass or artificial turf, and roller hockey, played on a hard surface using roller skates. Variants of hockey may also include different rules, score systems, field dimensions, and the inclusion of protective equipment.
Hockey is known for its fast-paced, physical nature, requiring players to possess excellent skating, stick handling, and shooting skills. It is a popular sport in many countries around the world, and its high level of competitiveness at both amateur and professional levels has led to the formation of various leagues and international tournaments, such as the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Olympic Games.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The origins of the word "hockey" are somewhat unclear, and its etymology is subject to debate among linguists. Several theories have been proposed:
1. Middle French: Some believe that "hockey" derives from the Middle French word "hoquet", meaning a shepherd's crook or a bent stick. It is argued that this term was then adopted to describe the game played with such a stick.
2. Dutch: Another theory suggests that the word "hockey" comes from the Dutch "hokkie" or "hokje", which translates to "little hut" or "goal". This is based on the idea that the game was played near a goal or a small area known as a "hok".
3. Irish: Another hypothesis proposes an Irish origin for the word. "Haca" is an Irish word meaning "hook".
