How to pronounce thought, though and tough in English

29 Mar 2016 · 2 min

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1:55

Hadar Shemesh breaks down why "ough" sounds completely different in though, thought, and tough. Though rhymes with go, thought sounds like "thaw," and tough ends with an /f/ sound. Watch to hear each one pronounced clearly.

Questions this video answers

Hadar Shemesh (Accent's Way).

March 29, 2016.

The O sound as in 'go' (represented by 'ough').

An 'ah' vowel (as in 'father') with a soft initial th and a very subtle final t.

Initial strong T (not th), 'u' vowel (represented by 'ough'), and final /f/ (GH pronounced /f/).

Chapters

Hi there. It's hadar. And this is the accent's way, your way to finding clarity, confidence and freedom in English. Eduardo asked me to explain the difference between the words though, thought and tough. Now, they all look the same with those O's, U, G, H's, but they sound differently. So let's explain the difference between the three. The word though begins with a strong th sound. And then the ough stands for the O, as in go. So basically, it's only two sounds. V, O, though. Though the word thought, although you only add a t at the end. But the vowel is different. In this case, the ough stands for the as in father vowel. The th is a soft th. So the tongue comes out and only air is passing. Then you open it to an ah sound, th, and you end it with a very subtle T. Thought. Thought. Though. Thought. The third word is tough. So in this case, we begin with a strong T sound, it's not a th. And the ough stands for u. And then it ends with an F sound. So the GH actually represents the F. Tough. Tough. Tough. Though. Thought. Tough. Alright, good. Very simple when you think about it, right? Go ahead and practice it. And don't forget to subscribe if you haven't yet. Also, if you like this video, please share it with your friends and I will see you next week in the next video. Bye.