-ough-

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This combination of letters can be pronounced in eight or nine different ways in English, exemplified by the following words:

  • cough (rhymes with off, IPA: /kɒf/, like trough;
  • enough (rhymes with puff, /ɪn ˈʌf/, like rough and tough;
  • bough (rhymes with how), /baʊ/;
  • through (rhymes with do and who, /θruː/;
  • thought (rhymes with caught and sort, /ɔː/, like ought;
  • though (rhymes with so, /əʊ/, like dough;
  • thorough (rhymes with borough. /ˈθʌr ʌ(or ə)/;
  • lough (rhymes with loch and och, /lɒχ/. This the spelling, in Irish Gaelic, of what Scots Gaelic writes as loch. As it is a Gaelic spelling, there are no other words in English with this form and pronunciation.
  • hiccough (though this last one is a false etymology, and is better spelled hiccup: see hiccough). It is pronounced like 'cup', /ˈhɪ kʌp/.
You may also like to see ghoti for one mockery that has been made of this spelling.