How To Pronounce Ought to
ought to
In British English, ought to is pronounced /ˈɔːt.tə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈɔː.tə]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈɔːt.tə/.
Ought to has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first syllable. British and American speakers say it the same way.
Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.
Syllables, Stress And Endings
Syllables And Stress
Ought to has two syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the first syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is Oo, where O is the stressed syllable.
Questions About Ought to
How do you pronounce ought to in British English?
In British English, ought to is pronounced /ˈɔːt.tə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈɔː.tə].
How do you pronounce ought to in American English?
In American English, ought to is pronounced /ˈɔːt.tə/.
How many syllables are in ought to?
Ought to has two syllables, /ɔːt/ + /tə/.
Where is the stress in ought to?
The main stress is on the first syllable, /ɔːt/.
Do British and American English pronounce ought to the same way?
Yes. Both are /ˈɔːt.tə/.
Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo
Nearby Words
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