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  1. Why does the ending -ough have six pronunciations?

    Jun 29, 2011 · Very nearly, "ough" is pronounced /ɔː/ in all words and only words spelled with "ought". (I know "daughter" isn't even spelled with ough today, but it has a similar history and the same …

  2. Spelling with 'ought' or 'aught' - English Language & Usage Stack …

    Mar 4, 2016 · The Old English form does not always correspond to the modern spelling like this; for example, daughter comes from Old English dohtor. The Oxford English dictionary says that doughter …

  3. word choice - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Dec 4, 2020 · Is "ought to" still used in modern English? If yes, in what contexts is it used, and is it used more in formal or informal cases?

  4. "ought" with or without "to"? [duplicate] - English Language & Usage ...

    Oct 21, 2023 · It depends on whether the speaker has internalized ought as a separate item from oughtta. It's got no other use and it's rare with an uncomplemented infinitive. Phrases such as I ought …

  5. What is the meaning of "ought not"? - English Language & Usage …

    Verbs like ought, should, must, have to express degrees of desirability or probability, neither of which really apply to non-sentient things like branches. Maybe the branches "ought not reach" according to …

  6. English letter sequence with most pronunciations

    Nov 19, 2010 · The letters -ough- can be pronounced a ridiculous number of different ways in English. Here is a possibly incomplete list: tough, enough cough, trough bough, plough though, dough …

  7. A pronunciation question of slough - English Language & Usage Stack ...

    Feb 22, 2017 · A r ough -coated, d ough -faced, th ough tful pl ough man strode thr ough the streets of Scarbor ough; after falling into a slough, he c ough ed and hicc ough ed. 'Slough' isn't bolded, so not …

  8. meaning - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Nov 12, 2010 · What is the difference between You should go and You ought to go? I rarely use the latter.

  9. Rule for the pronunciation of the letter O as /ʌ/ vs. /ɒ/

    The sub-patterns might be used as "warning signs" to indicate which words might plausibly be pronounced with /ʌ/: e.g. if the O doesn't occur in one of the following contexts (oth, on, om, mo, wo, …

  10. What does "double oughts" mean? [closed] - English Language

    Oct 2, 2019 · " Aught " and " ought " (the latter in its noun sense) strictly speaking mean "all" or "anything", and are not names for the number 0. Nevertheless, they are sometimes used as such in …