David Recine

OUGH Words on the TOEFL

In my last post on this subject, I gave you two pieces of bad news about the “OUGH” letter combination in English. First, I told you that these letters can be pronounced six different ways. Then, I told you that there are no rules for exactly how “OUGH” will be pronounced in a word. You just have to memorize the pronunciation of different OUGH words.

Now, I have some good news. There are only 17 different OUGH words in English that are possible TOEFL words. If you can memorize this short list of words, you’ll be able to understand and use them on exam day. Below, I will list the 6 sounds of OUGH once more, along with the OUGH TOEFL words that have each sound. To hear the words, click the audio file underneath each of the 6 sound headings.

 

OH

1) though (variation: although)

2) dough (variations: doughy, doughier, doughiest, doughnut, doughs, doughlike)

3) thorough (variations: thoroughly, thoroughness)

 

AUW

1) plough (variations: ploughed, ploughing, ploughs)

2) drought (variations: droughts)

Practice for your TOEFL exam with Magoosh.

 

OTT

1) bought (variations: outbought, overbought, unbought, underbought)

2) brought

3) fought (variations: outfought/unfought)

4) ought

5) sought (variation: unsought)

6) thought (variations: forethought, outthought, rethought, thoughtful, thoughtfully, thoughtfulness, thoughtless, thoughtlessly, thoughts)

 

OO

1) through (variations: breakthrough, throughout, throughway, throughways)

 

OFF

1) cough (variations: coughs, coughing, coughed)

2) trough (variation: troughs)


 

UFF

1) enough

2) rough (variations: roughage, rougher, roughest, roughly, roughness)

3) tough (variations: toughen, toughened, tougher, toughly)

So there you have it. 6 sounds, 17 words, and 4 letters. Study all of the above carefully, and you will master the mighty OUGH on the TOEFL.

 

Author

  • David Recine

    David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he’s helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in many scholarly articles, his Master’s Thesis is featured on the Reading with Pictures website, and he’s presented at the WITESOL (link to PDF) and NAFSA conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru. Come join David and the Magoosh team on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram, or connect with him via LinkedIn!

More from Magoosh