How To Pronounce Tough
tough
UK
Phonemic
/tʌf/
Phonetic
[tʰʌf]
US
Phonemic
/tʌf/
In British English, tough is pronounced /tʌf/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [tʰʌf]. In American English, it is pronounced /tʌf/.
Tough 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
tʌf
Tough has one syllable in British English.
tough + -er
-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English.
UK
/ˈtʌf.ə/
US
/ˈtʌf.ɚ/
tough + -est
-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/.
UK
/ˈtʌf.ɪst/
US
/ˈtʌf.ɪst/
Words That Rhyme With Tough
Questions About Tough
How do you pronounce tough in British English?
In British English, tough is pronounced /tʌf/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [tʰʌf].
How do you pronounce tough in American English?
In American English, tough is pronounced /tʌf/.
Do British and American English pronounce tough the same way?
Yes. Both are /tʌf/.
Nearby Words
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