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The "-ough" Problem: One Spelling, Eight Sounds

No other four letters in English cause this much chaos.

throughTHROO

Sounds like "-oo".

thoughTHOH

Sounds like "-oh".

toughTUFF

Sounds like "-uff".

thoughtTHAWT

Sounds like "-awt".

boughBOW (rhymes with cow)

Sounds like "-ow".

coughKOFF

Sounds like "-off".

enoughih-NUFF

Sounds like "-uff", same as "tough".

hiccoughHIK-up

A variant spelling of "hiccup" — sounds like "-up".

More mispronounced word lists

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