How to Pronounce Thought

To pronounce "thought", say THOUGHT — one syllable, IPA /ˈθɔt/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.

thought

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Accent

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Speed

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1

Syllable

7

Letters

/ˈθɔt/

🇺🇸 IPA (US)

/θˈɔːt/

🇬🇧 IPA (UK)

💡 Tip for remembering “thought”

"thought" is a single-syllable word — say it in one clean beat. It rhymes with fraught and distraught, if that helps it stick.

What does thought mean?

verb

  1. To ponder, to go over in one's head.

    “Idly, the detective thought what his next move should be.”

  2. To communicate to oneself in one's mind, to try to find a solution to a problem.

    “I thought for three hours about the problem and still couldn’t find the solution.”

verb

  1. To seem, to appear.

noun

  1. Form created in the mind, rather than the forms perceived through the five senses; an instance of thinking.

    “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”

  2. The operation by which such forms arise or are manipulated; the process of thinking; the agency by which thinking is accomplished.

    “Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.”

Synonyms

guess

Hear “thought” in real sentences

Real example sentences from Tatoeba (CC-BY) — tap to hear each one, or see it used on YouGlish.

Words that rhyme with thought

Practicing rhymes trains the same ending sounds.

fraughtdistraughttautonslaughthottrotknotoverwroughtblotnoughtspotwrought

Related words

mentationintellectionideaopinioncerebrationviewpersuasionsentiment

Frequently asked questions

How many syllables are in "thought"?▾

"Thought" has one syllable.

What is the IPA transcription of "thought"?▾

The IPA transcription of "thought" is /ˈθɔt/.

What does "thought" mean?▾

Thought: To ponder, to go over in one's head.

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