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