Editing English orthography (section)

=== ⟨ough⟩ words ===
{{Main|Ough (tetragraph)}}

The [[tetragraph]] {{vr|ough}} can be pronounced in at least ten different ways, six of which are illustrated in the construct, ''Though the tough cough and hiccough plough him through'', which is quoted by [[Robert A. Heinlein]] in ''[[The Door into Summer]]'' to illustrate the difficulties facing automated speech transcription and reading. ''Ough'' itself is a word, an exclamation of disgust similar to ''ugh'', though rarely known or used. The following are typical pronunciations of this string of letters:

* {{IPAc-en|oʊ}} (as in ''s'''o''''') in ''though'' and ''dough''
* {{IPAc-en|ʌ|f}} (as in ''c'''uff''''') in ''tough'', ''rough'', ''enough'', and the name ''Hough''
* {{IPAc-en|ɒ|f}} (as in '''''off''''') in ''trough'', ''cough'', and ''Gough''
* {{IPAc-en|uː}} (as in ''bl'''ue''''') in ''through''
* {{IPAc-en|ɔː}} (as in ''s'''aw''''') in ''thought'', ''ought'', ''sought'', ''nought'', ''brought'', etc.
* {{IPAc-en|ə}} (as in ''comm'''a''''') in ''thorough'', ''borough'', and names ending in ''-borough''; however, American English pronounces this as {{IPAc-en|oʊ}}
* {{IPAc-en|aʊ}} (as in ''h'''ow''''') in ''bough'', ''sough'', ''drought'', ''plough'' (''plow'' in North America), ''doughty'', and the names ''Slough'' and ''Doughty''
* {{IPAc-en|ɒ|x}} (as in ''l'''och'''''; mainly in words of [[Goidelic languages|Gaelic origin]]) in the word ''lough'' (an anglicised variant of ''[[loch]]'' used in Ireland) and in Irish [[Toponymy|place names]], such as ''[[Ardclough]]'', ''[[Glendalough]]'', ''[[Loughmore|Loughmoe]]'', ''[[Loughrea]]'', etc.

The following pronunciations are found in uncommon single words:
* ''hough'': {{IPAc-en|ɒ|k}} (more commonly spelled "hock" now)
* ''hiccough'' (a now-uncommon variant of ''hiccup''): {{IPAc-en|ʌ|p}} as in '''''up'''''
* ''[[Oughter Ard|Oughterard]]'' (Irish place name): {{IPAc-en|u:|x}}
The place name [[Loughborough]] uses two different pronunciations of {{vr|ough}}: the first {{vr|ough}} has the sound as in ''c'''uff''''' and the second rhymes with ''thor'''ough'''''.