oughhow to pronounce words written with ‘ough’ correctly in english? sounds
TRANSCRIPT
How To Pronounce ‘OUGH’ In EnglishEXLenglish.com
The ‘OUGH’ letter combination is one of the most unpredictable to pronounce becasue there are 6 variations in American English
and 10 in British English 1
Have you thought this through thoroughly enough?
Originally, Anglo-Saxon words were written with
an ‘H’ to indicate a voiceless velar fricative
in words like ‘Bach’ with a ‘hard H’ sound 2
The ‘voiceless velar fricative’ is a rasp in the back of the
throat in words like ‘Loch’ 3
Then around the 13th century, when the French invaded and
began to influence the English language…a ’G’ was
added to the ‘H’ to represent this ‘voiceless velar fricative’ 4
But later, around the 17th century, the voiceless velar fricative began to change.
In some places, the "gh" disappeared completely like in “through" and
“bought". In others, it was converted to a ‘voiceless labiodental fricative’ (a rasp between the teeth
and lips) that now sounds like an "f“ in words like ‘cough’ and ‘enough’. 5
OUGH as in ‘Though’EIGH as in ‘Neighbor’AUGH as in ‘Taught’
IGH as in ‘High’
aboughtaforethoughtafterthoughtafterthoughtsalthoughbesoughtbethoughtboroughboroughsboughboughedboughpotboughpotsboughsboughtboughtenbreakthroughbreakthroughsbroughambroughamsbroughtchoughchoughscloughcloughscoughcoughedcoughercougherscoughingcoughsdogfoughtdoughdoughboydoughboys
doughfacedoughfacesdoughierdoughiestdoughlikedoughnutdoughnutlikedoughnutsdoughsdoughtdoughtierdoughtiestdoughtilydoughtinessdoughtinessesdoughtydoughydreadnoughtdreadnoughtsdroughtdroughtierdroughtiestdroughtinessdroughtinessesdroughtsdroughtyenoughenoughsforethoughtforethoughtfulforethoughtfullyforethoughtfulnessforethoughtfulnessesforethoughtsfought
foughtenfurloughfurloughedfurloughingfurloughsgunfoughthandwroughthiccoughhiccoughedhiccoughinghiccoughsinfoughtinterboroughinterboroughsinterwroughtloughloughsmerrythoughtmerrythoughtsmethoughtmisthoughtnoughtnoughtsoughtoughtedoughtingoughtsoutboughtoutfoughtoutthoughtoutwroughtoverboughtoverthoughtoverwroughtplough
ploughedplougherploughersploughingploughsreboughtrefoughtresoughtrethoughtrewroughtroughroughageroughagesroughcastroughcastingroughcastsroughdriedroughdriesroughdryroughdryingroughedroughenroughenedrougheningroughensrougherroughersroughestroughhewroughhewedroughhewingroughhewnroughhewsroughhouseroughhoused
roughhousesroughhousingroughingroughishroughlegroughlegsroughlyroughneckroughnecksroughnessroughnessesroughriderroughridersroughsroughshodsloughsloughedsloughiersloughiestsloughingsloughssloughysoughsoughedsoughingsoughssoughtsourdoughsourdoughsthoroughthoroughbassthoroughbassesthoroughbracethoroughbracesthoroughbred
thoroughbredsthorougherthoroughestthoroughfarethoroughfaresthoroughgoingthoroughlythoroughnessthoroughnessesthoroughpinthoroughpinsthoroughwortthoroughwortsthoughthoughtthoughtfulthoughtfullythoughtfulnessthoughtfulnessesthoughtlessthoughtlesslythoughtlessnessthoughtlessnessesthoughtsthoughtwaythoughtwaysthroughthroughitherthroughlythroughotherthroughoutthroughputthroughputsthroughwaythroughways
toughtoughedtoughentoughenedtougheningtoughenstoughertoughesttoughietoughiestoughingtoughishtoughlytoughnesstoughnessestoughstoughytroughtroughsunboughtunderboughtunfoughtunroughunsoughtunthoughtwherethroughwroughtyarboroughyarboroughs*
OUGH = /o / (Long O)ʊ• Dough• Furlough• Though • Thorough • Although
Pronounced with the ‘Long O’ (oh) sound in words like 'toe‘, ‘no’ or ‘go’
I love mixing bread dough
The missionaries are home on furlough
I like it even though it smells weird
He always does a thorough job
I understand. Although I don’t think it’s a very
good excuse
OUGH = /u / (Long U) ː• Through• Throughout• Throughput• Throughway
• Pronounced with the ‘Long U’ (oo) sound in words like ‘too’, ‘threw’, or ‘shoe’
It was too big to fit through the door
He traveled there often throughout his lifetime
They spend the day tryingto measure througput
on the server
An accident prevented us from getting on
the throughway
OUGH / / = (AW sound) ɔː• Bought • Brought• Ought• Sought• Thought• Wrought
• Regularly used before the letter /t/ • One exception in the
word ‘Drought’
I bought a new house last year
She brought me some coffee
You ought to go with them
They sought new ways to increase productivity
He thought she was nuts
It wrought a terrible plague
OUGH = /a / (OW sound)ʊ• Bough• Plough• Drought
• Pronounced with the 'Ow' sound in words like 'cow‘, ‘now’ or ‘how’
The bough fell off during the storm
He hates to plough his farm
They suffered a severe drought
OUGH = / f/ (ɒ OFF)• Cough (coff)• Trough (troff)
• Pronounced with the ‘Off' sound in words like ‘scoff‘or ‘stroganoff’
She was coughing all afternoon
The horses drank from the trough
OUGH / f/ = (Uff)ʌ • Enough• Rough• Slough • Tough
• Prounced as ‘uff’ in words like ‘cuff’, ‘stuff’ or ‘buff’
That’s enough for today
It was a rough game
He always sloughs off on the job
She is one tough boss
One final exception is the word ‘hiccup’ which you may
see spelled ‘hiccough’
Have fun and practice pronouncing these words
with the ‘OUGH’ letter combinations!
Bibliography
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ough_(orthography)2. http://www.howtospell.co.uk/gh-words3. https://www.quora.com/Pronunciation/How-did-gh-at-the-end-of
some-words-become-an-eff-sound4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ-g8iF3Fdk 5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ-g8iF3Fdk
More ESL Info on ‘OUGH’• http://rachelsenglish.com/pronounce-ough/• http://www.pronuncian.com/Podcast/Default.aspx?Episode=205• http://
www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/intermediate/unit-9/session-1