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Ouija

Folklore
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A spirit board in modern American folklore, used to summon ghosts via planchette, often leading to hauntings or revelations.

Detailed Definition
The Ouija, patented 1890 but rooted in spiritualism, channels the dead, symbolizing Victorian occult curiosity and peril. Literature boards it in horror tales. In poetry, it spells William Butler Yeats' seances; poets summon for otherworld motifs, appearing in modernist works as dialogic risks, where letters form ghostly voices, enriching supernatural verse with interactive mystery.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ouija's spirit board in modernist poetry like H.D.'s séances summons voices; In surrealist verse by André Breton, it channels the unconscious; A séance poem queries Ouija's planchette; Folklore's table-turning educates on mediumship; Contemporary occult poets warn of Ouija deceptions; Gothic narratives use it for ghostly dialogues.
Additional Notes
Ouija, 1890s patent for "yes-yes," spirit tool in Spiritualism; H.D.'s war poems channel it; tips: planchette moves for uncertainty; related: automatic writing; American context: séance culture, for modernist occultism.
Also Known As
spirit board talking planchette necromantic tool
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