English can weird…… It can be understood though, through tough, thorough thought.
WOW. So who decided that these words should all be spelt the same and all be pronounced differently? Well done genius! Actually, the reason English pronunciation is so.... strange.... is because it's a conglomeration of lots of sounds and spellings and even languages that have merged over time. Check out this video series for an entertaining history lesson on English.
Let's have a look a some rhyming partners for the words above…
Though
RHYMES with = snow, dough, sew, slow, bow (as in ‘bow and arrow’ not ‘taking a bow’ oh joy!).
Through
RHYMES with = threw, poo, you, stew.
Tough
RHYMES with = rough, cuff, puff, stuff, enough.
Thorough
RHYMES with = borough, (ermmmm…….!).
Thought
RHYMES with = bought, caught, short, wrought, port.
However….. the complications don’t stop there – pronunciation of these words and working out what they rhyme with also depends on what accent you have!
HELP!
If you're struggling with a word, check out Merriam Webster (USA) or the Oxford English (UK). Simply type in your word and hit the 'microphone' button to hear pronunciation by a native speaker.
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GIVE IT A GO!
Want a real challenge…..? Follow this link and try reading the poem aloud. If you get it correct you are speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world!