The Seven -OUGH Pronunciations
This week I'm writing (again) about the inconsistencies between English spelling and English pronunciation. As one of my favorite professors once said, "English spelling is evil." Okay, that's a little dramatic, but she's not wrong.
A great example is the pronunciation of the spelling sequence "-ough". We have: through, thought, cough, though, bough, enough, and hiccough. The "-ough" is pronounced differently in each one of these words!
I'll break it down here with the pronunciation (see Sarah’s Sound Guide) and the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet).
1. through - Pronunciation: /THRUU/, IPA: /θɹu/
2. thought - Pronunciation: /THAHT/, IPA: /θɑt/
3. cough - Pronunciation: /KAHF/, IPA: /kɑf/
4. though - Pronunciation: /THOHW/, IPA: /ðoʊ/
5. bough - Pronunciation: /BOW/, IPA: /bɑʊ/
6. enough - Pronunciation: /ih NUHF/; IPA: /ɪˈnʌf/
7. hiccough - Pronunciation: /HIH kuhp/ IPA: /ˈhɪkəp/
Here is an extensive list of words that follow each of these pronunciation patterns. Notice how relatively short this list is. These are all of the common words in English that have -ough spellings. If you master the pronunciation of all the words below, you will have mastered this topic.
1. /UU/ (IPA: /u/): through, throughout
2. /AH/ (IPA: /ɑ/): thought, ought, sought, fought, bought, nought, brought, wrought
3. /AHF/ (IPA: /ɑf/): cough, trough
4. /OH/ (IPA: /oʊ/): though, dough, although, furlough, thorough, borough
5. /OW/ (IPA: /ɑʊ/): bough, drought
6. /UHF/ (IPA: /ʌf/): enough, tough, rough, slough
7. /UHP/ (IPA: /ʌp/): hiccough (this word is unique)
In sum, "-ough" can be pronounced at least seven different ways, with five different vowels. Why is there so much inconsistency?
The inconsistency is because of historical sound changes. Old English/Early Middle English used to pronounce -ough as /oːx/ or /oʊx/ with that throaty consonant sound at the end of German “Bach”. In later years the vowels systematically changed in different parts of England and the -gh ending was either dropped our changed to /f/. Bits of each change somehow found their way into the spelling and pronunciation of modern English.
What does that mean for you? Memorization and practice! I always tell my clients that when you're studying English pronunciation, you should focus on how a word is pronounced instead of how it is spelled.
Spelling-sound inconsistencies like these can seem overwhelming. How do you decide which accent/pronunciation topics to study first and what will makes the biggest difference in YOUR speech? The most efficient way to improve your accent and speaking skills is by working one-on-one with an accent/speech instructor. I can tell you EXACTLY what to work on and in what order. You can sign up for a free speech assessment with me any time. I will create a personalized accent improvement training plan for you to help guide your journey to clearer, more confident speech. Just click “Services” at the top of the page.
If you are not ready for one-on-one training, you can sign up for my free weekly lesson, Bold Speech Tips, find the sign-up form below.
Written by Sarah Sherer, PhD 4/7/2023