How to Pronounce
the letters OUGH & AUGH
in American English
Jennifer Tarle M.A. CCC-SLP
www.TarleSpeech.com
[email protected]
©2016 Tarle Speech & Language Services LLC
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House Keeping...
 Questions?
 Handouts?
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Agenda
1. Spelling versus pronunciation
2. Variations of how to pronounce OUGH
3. Variations of how to pronounce AUGH
4. Practice
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Spelling versus pronunciation
• Letters make words
• We read the letters and pronounce them as words
• American English spelling is not a perfect system guiding pronunciation
• For example; the letters OUGH can be pronounced as ONE sound
•
S-OUGH-T : S-O-T
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How to Pronounce OUGH
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Variations of how to pronounce OUGH
Four letters:
Four letters:
One sound1. Long O
2. Long OW
3. Long EW
4. Short o
Two sounds1. UF
2. OFF
3. UP
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OUGH as Long O
Pronounced as:
•
One sound
•
Long O
How to:
•
•
Lips: Relaxed rounded lips move to tense, rounded lips
Tongue:
• The tongue tip is low in the mouth
• The back of the tongue is arched toward the roof of the mouth
• Length: Long
Try it:
•
•
Though (th-o)
Dough (d-o)
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OUGH as Long OW
Pronounced as:
•
One sound
•
Long OW
How to:
•
•
•
Lips: Wide open circle lips move to rounded tense lips
Tongue:
• The tip of the tongue is in the bottom of the mouth
• The back of the tongue is arched towards the roof of the mouth.
Length: Long
Try it:
•
•
Plough (plow- standard spelling in America)
Drought (drowt)
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OUGH as Long EW
Pronounced as:
•
One sound
•
Long EW
How to:
•
•

Lips: Rounded and tense
Tongue:
• The tip of the tongue is in the bottom of the mouth
• The back of the tongue is pulled up high and almost touches the palate
Length: Long
Try it:
•
Through (threw)
©2016 Tarle Speech & Language Services LLC
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OUGH as Short o
Pronounced as:
•
One sound
•
Short o
How to:
•
•

Lips: Wide open in an oval
Tongue:
• The tongue tip is the bottom of the mouth
• The back pulled towards the roof of the mouth
Length: Short
Try it:
•
•
•
•
Thought (thot)
Brought (brot)
Sought (sot)
Fought (fot)
©2016 Tarle Speech & Language Services LLC
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OUGH as UF
Pronounced as:
•
Two sounds
•
Short u-F
How to:
•
•
Start with a short u:
• Lips: Open slightly and relaxed
• Tongue:
• The tongue tip is behind bottom front teeth
• The back pulled towards the center of the mouth
• Length: Short
End with an F:
• Lips: Gently bite bottom lip with top teeth
• Air flow: Keep it moving out of the mouth
Try it:
• Tough (tuf)
• Rough (ruf)
• Enough (enuf)
©2016 Tarle Speech & Language Services LLC
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OUGH as OFF
Pronounced as:
•
Two sounds
•
Short o-F
How to:
•

Start with a short o:
• Lips: Wide open in an oval
• Tongue:
– The tongue tip is the bottom of the mouth
– The back pulled towards the roof of the mouth
• Length: Short
End with an F:
• Lips: Gently bite bottom lip with top teeth
• Air flow: Keep it moving out of the mouth
Try it:
•
•
Cough (cof)
Trough (trof)
©2016 Tarle Speech & Language Services LLC
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OUGH as UP
Pronounced as:
•
Two sounds
•
Short u-P
How to:
•
•
Start with a short u:
• Lips: Open slightly and relaxed
• Tongue:
– The tongue tip is behind bottom front teeth
– The back pulled towards the center of the mouth
• Length: Short
End with an F:
• Lips: Press together then open
• Air flow: Puffs out of mouth
Try it:
•
Hiccough (hiccup-standard spelling in America)
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How to Pronounce AUGH
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Variations of how to pronounce AUGH
Four letters:
Four letters:
One sound1. Short o
Two sounds1. AF
©2016 Tarle Speech & Language Services LLC
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AUGH as Short o
Pronounced as:
•
One sound
•
Short o
How to:
•
•

Lips: Wide open in an oval
Tongue:
• The tongue tip is the bottom of the mouth
• The back pulled towards the roof of the mouth
Length: Short
Try it:
•
•
•
•
Daughter (doder)
Taught (tot)
Slaughter (sloder)
Caught (cot)
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AUGH as AF
Pronounced as:
•
Two sound
•
Short a-F
How to:
•
•
Start with a short a:
• Lips: Wide open in an circle
• Tongue:
– The tongue tip is the bottom of the mouth
– The back pulled towards the roof of the mouth
• Length: Short
End with an F:
• Lips: Gently bite bottom lip with top teeth
• Air flow: Keep it moving out of the mouth
Try it:
•
•
Laugh (laf)
Laughter (lafter)
©2016 Tarle Speech & Language Services LLC
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Simple Practice
Listen, repeat, on your own
•
Long O: though (th-o), dough (d-o)
•
Long OW: plough (plow), drought (drowt)
•
Long EW: through (threw)
•
Short o: thought (thot), brought (brot), sought (sot), ought (ot)
•
UF: tough (tuf), rough (ruf), enough (enuf)
•
OFF: cough (cof), trough (trof)
•
UP: hiccough (hiccup)
•
Short o: daughter (doder), taught (tot), caught (cot)
•
AF: laugh (laf), laughter (lafter), laughing (lafing)
©2016 Tarle Speech & Language Services LLC
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Advanced Practice
•
I don’t like the icing. I like the dough though.
•
It was difficult to plough after the drought.
•
Go through the bag that you brought.
•
Did you bring enough cough drops?
•
That won’t help your hiccoughs.
•
My daughter taught me.
•
Don’t laugh!
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Additional Information
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