-ough-
From Hull AWE
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.