Ough Words With Pronunciation

Ough words with pronunciation will help you learn the letter sequence which you will often see in words in the English language. This sequence of letters have the most unpredictable pronunciation, at least six pronunciations in North American English and over ten in British English. These words may have multiple pronunciations, especially between native and non-native speakers.

Mastery of these "ough" words is particularly important for the IELTS exam who wishes to increase their focus on pronunciation, vocabulary, and listening skills. By getting familiar with the Ough words with pronunciation, you will level up your preparation for the IELTS test. This will also boost your confidence and the skills which are needed in order to score a band 8+.

Let's check the ough words!

Uses of Ough Words with Pronunciation in English Proficiency

As you showcase your level of english proficiency, using these ough words with pronunciation will help you in getting a higher IELTS Band Score. Below are some of the words which will take your preparation a level higher and help you achieve success.

• This sequence can also be used as a word to express emotion in different ways and forms.
• It is pronounced as oh, but adding the ‘ug’ between ‘the o’ and h creates a more meaningful passion when expressing it.
• The word can be used to replace long vowel ‘o’ sounds in a word, providing more emphasis to make the long vowel sound more rewarding, interesting and less boring to use.
• It can be used in expressing anger, for example “ ough,stop that please, ough!”
• It can be used in expressing joy and happiness, by just simply yelling at the top of your lungs when in the middle of a match or blockbuster “OUGH!”

Importance of Ough Words with Pronunciation in IELTS exam for a Band 8+

Using Ough Words With Pronunciation in the IELTS exam is crucial, especially in the IELTS Speaking and Listening modules. These words will not only help you in your language skills but also make you score a band 8+. The table below shows the importance of Ough Words With Pronunciation in the IELTS exam.

Tricks to Learn Ough Words With Pronunciation

As you improve your english language proficiency level, it is necessary to use these ough words with pronunciation. However, there are certain strategies which need to be incorporated to practice and improve these skills. The following are a few tricks which you can use to learn these ough words.

• Always group the words based on the sound. Make separate lists for each pronunciation group and practice them every day.
• Listen to the pronunciation as you get to hear the natives utter the words.
• Put every word in a sentence to understand their use while practicing fluency. This will help in understanding the meaning in terms of context and also helps you to retain these words. Along with that, you will also improve your sentence structure in the IELTS Grammar.
• Record yourself speak. Say each sentence out loud while recording it and compare it with the native audio. This ensures accuracy in terms of pronunciation.

7 Main Ough Words With Pronunciation

Before diving into the list of Ough words with pronunciation, let's check out the seven main ough words where the pronunciation would differ. Remember that each of these pronunciation will differ and you must know them so that you can use the respective words with the correct pronunciation.

The table below shows the seven main ough words with pronunciation.

List of 15 Ough Words With Pronunciation

It’s fascinating how each of these ough words is pronounced differently even though they all have ‘ough’ in them. Therefore, you must familiarize yourself with these words so that your pronunciation could be improved.

The table below mentions a list of 15 Ough Words with Pronunciation. Click on the audio to know how it is pronounced.

Common Mistakes to Avoid when Learning Ough Words With Pronunciation 

When you start indulging yourself with the ough words with pronunciation, you might encounter a few common mistakes which might affect your learning progress. Below are some of the common mistakes which you need to avoid while diving into the ough words.

• It is important to note that all ough words do not sound the same. Try to group these words based on the pronunciation since many think that all ough words sound the same.
• Focus on the spelling of these ough words as many try to pronounce the words based on the spelling. It is necessary to practice these words as you attempt the IELTS Recent Actual Tests 2025.
• Similar words do not have the similar meaning which might affect your band score. Practice memorizing the words individually instead of assuming. You can create sentences to understand the context in which you can use the words.
• Do not ignore a bit tricky and irregular words since you might hear these in the IELTS Listening module.
• Try not to get confuse “Ough” with “Augh” Words. Separate the words differently based on their respective sounds and spellings.

Mastering the ough words with pronunciation requires to learn the pattern which may seem tough at the outset. However, with practice, you will be able to note them and also use them during your IELTS preparation. These will help gauge your pronunciation ability and help you score a band 8+ in the lexical resource criteria. Remember to go for repetition, context, and more listening sessions for you to speak, write, and comprehend "ough" words like a pro.

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