Pronunciation: [tˈə͡ʊlbuːθ] (IPA) 
The word "tollbooth" is spelled with two L's and one O. The first syllable is stressed, with the sound represented by the IPA symbol /tɒl/. The second syllable contains the sound represented by the IPA symbol /buθ/, which can also be spelled as "booth" or "bof". The final syllable contains the sound represented by the IPA symbol /θ/, which can be spelled as "th" or "t". Altogether, the pronunciation of "tollbooth" is /tɒlbuθ/.
A tollbooth refers to a physical structure or booth located on a road, bridge, or highway that serves as a checkpoint for collecting fees from motorists or vehicles passing through. Essentially, it is a designated area where tolls or charges are levied to cover the cost of using or maintaining the infrastructure or to generate revenue for the governing authority responsible for the road. The tollbooth is usually accompanied by a barrier or gate that controls access to the road, allowing it to grant or deny passage based on the payment of required tolls.
Tollbooths are typically manned by toll collectors who ascertain the appropriate fee based on factors such as vehicle type, length of travel, or specific toll rates for certain purposes. Upon payment, the collector may issue a receipt or display a ticket indicating that the toll has been paid. Many modern toll systems have transitioned to automated or electronic tolling, where the payment is made electronically without the need for physical exchange between the driver and collector at the tollbooth.
Tollbooths have been used worldwide throughout history, enabling governments or private entities to fund the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, tunnels, and other critical transportation infrastructure. They provide a means to recover costs associated with such projects, essentially generating income from those who benefit from the improved or maintained transportation routes.
* 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 "tollbooth" has a straightforward etymology. It is a compound word consisting of "toll" and "booth".
1. "Toll" originates from Old English "tollian", which means "to take payment, levy a toll". The word has Germanic origins and is related to German "zollen" and Dutch "tollen", both meaning "to collect toll".
2. "Booth" comes from Middle English "bothe", which originated from Old Norse "búð". "Búð" means a "temporary structure" or "hut". It is also related to the word "both" in Old English, which meant "dwelling" or "structure".
Combining these two words gives us "tollbooth", referring to a structure where payment of tolls is collected.
