How To Pronounce Rough
rough
UK
Phonemic
/rʌf/
Phonetic
[rʌf]
US
Phonemic
/rʌf/
In British English, rough is pronounced /rʌf/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [rʌf]. In American English, it is pronounced /rʌf/.
Rough has one 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
rʌf
Rough has one syllable in British English.
rough + -s
-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /s/ after a voiceless consonant.
UK
/rʌfs/
US
/rʌfs/
rough + -ed
-ed (past tense or past participle) is /t/ after a voiceless consonant.
UK
/rʌft/
US
/rʌft/
rough + -ing
-ing is always /ɪŋ/.
UK
/ˈrʌf.ɪŋ/
US
/ˈrʌf.ɪŋ/
rough + -er
-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English.
UK
/ˈrʌf.ə/
US
/ˈrʌf.ɚ/
rough + -est
-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/.
UK
/ˈrʌf.ɪst/
US
/ˈrʌf.ɪst/
Words That Rhyme With Rough
Questions About Rough
How do you pronounce rough in British English?
In British English, rough is pronounced /rʌf/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [rʌf].
How do you pronounce rough in American English?
In American English, rough is pronounced /rʌf/.
Do British and American English pronounce rough the same way?
Yes. Both are /rʌf/.
Nearby Words
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