Pronunciation: [kˈɒmɪt] (IPA) 
The word "comet" is spelled with a /k/ sound, which is represented by the letter "c" in English. The following vowel sound is a long /o/ sound, represented by the letter "o". The second consonant is a voiced alveolar stop, /d/. Finally, the word ends with an unvoiced alveolar stop, /t/. So to summarize, the correct spelling of the word "comet" is /ˈkɒmɪt/.
A comet is an astronomical object consisting of a nucleus, made up of ice, dust, and rock, that orbits the Sun in a highly elongated elliptical or parabolic trajectory. Comets are commonly referred to as "dirty snowballs" or "cosmic snowstorms" due to their composition, as they are composed primarily of water ice with smaller amounts of other volatile substances mixed with rocky and metallic materials. They typically have a small solid core, called the nucleus, which ranges between a few kilometers to tens of kilometers in diameter.
As a comet approaches the Sun, it starts to heat up, causing the ice within its nucleus to vaporize and create a glowing coma, which is a cloud of gas and dust that surrounds the nucleus. The combination of the coma and the nucleus forms the comet’s head. Additionally, as the comet gets closer to the Sun, the pressure from the Sun's radiation creates the characteristic glowing tail of the comet, which often extends for millions of kilometers away from the nucleus. This tail is always pointing away from the Sun due to the solar wind.
Some comets have predictable orbits and return periodically, while others only visit the inner regions of the solar system once in their lifetime. Due to their distinctive tails and often spectacular appearances, comets have been objects of fascination and curiosity throughout history, often associated with significant astronomical events and interpreted as omens in various cultures. Comets play a crucial role in understanding the formation and evolution of the solar system, as they preserve valuable information about the early stages of its development.
• A game at cards.
• A hairy star; a celestial body accompanied with a train or tail of light.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* 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 word "comet" comes from the Old English word "comēta", which was derived from the Latin word "comēta". In turn, the Latin word was a transliteration of the Greek word "kometes", meaning "long-haired star" or "wearing long hair". This Greek term was used to describe comets based on their visual appearance, as comets often appear as glowing objects with a tail, resembling long hair.
