Stir or stir: which is the correct way?

After all, how do you spell it? "Mecher" or "Stir"? The spelling of this verb generates many doubts due to the homophony existing between the digraph ch and the consonant x in certain words. The verb to move is written with “x”. Read more below to better understand this issue.

Read too: Do I ask or a person?

Is the correct "mecher" or "stir"?

The verb to move is written with the letter x. The question arises because the digraph ch has the same sound as the letter x in some words (teaá and xThedrez, for example). However, the verb stir and derived words such as wobble are written with the consonant x.

Use of the verb move

The verb to move came from the Latin, misceous, and has several meanings according to the context, which can mean:

•  move
•  mix
•  have as an occupation
•  to swing
•  touch with hands
•  to tease
•  hurry up
•  Act
•  to affect

Let's look at some examples:

•  He's a very restless child, he doesn't stop to mix.
• Mix the brigadier with a wooden spoon.
•  Is it over there shake with automobiles.
•  Come on, boy, move yourself!
•  those events moved a lot with me...
•  Mom, Pedro stays moving with me while I study!

Read too:Homophone relationships established between letters x and ch

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When to use “x” in words?

The letter x can represent many different sounds, so its use is quite extensive. With regard to the sound of the word move, some trends are observed, although there are exceptions:

• Words of indigenous and African origin, such as curse, namesake and shaman.
• Portuguese foreign words, such as shampoo and Shanghai.
• Words starting with the syllable en and that do not have an origin that justifies the use of the digraph ch, such as graft, sulfur and hoe.
• After syllables with diphthong, as in box, bundle, loose and bass.

Because the digraph ch has the same sound as the letter x in some contexts, the question of how the verb to move is written becomes quite frequent.

Conjugation of the verb move

stir is a verb regular of the 2nd conjugation (ending in -er).

Indicative
gift	past Perfect	past imperfect	future of gift
me	move	moved	stirred	I will stir
you	move	stirred	moths	you will stir
he/she	shake	stirred	stirred	will stir
we	we move	we move	we stirred	we will move
you	move	shakes	mussels	you will stir
they	move	moved	moved	will stir

solved exercises

Question 1 - The alternative that presents at least one word written outside the standard norm of the Portuguese language is:

A) chess, stirring, tea.

B) dry, find, pull.

C) witchcraft, tarnish, luxurious.

D) shaming, laxative, boredom.

Resolution

Alternative D. The word chamego is written with digraph ch.

Question 2 - Check the alternative that adequately fills in the following blanks:

(i) Get the en___ada, we need to work.

(ii) I bought a great ___ampu for my hair.

(iii) I don't usually eat seafood, but I love me___illhão.

A) ch - x - ch

B) x - ch - x

C) ch - x - x

D) x - x - ch

E) x - x - x

Resolution

Alternative E. “Hoe”, “shampoo” and “mussel” are written with the letter x.

By Guilherme Viana
grammar teacher

Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:

VIANA, William. "Stir or stir?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/mecher-ou-mexer.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.