How to pronounce drought
Say it like DROWT. Drought is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- DROWT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Drought pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- DROWTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
American vs British pronunciation of drought
American and British speakers say drought in essentially the same way: /draʊt/ in the US and /draʊt/ in the UK.
British respelling: DROWT.
What does drought mean?
- A period of unusually low rainfall, longer and more severe than a dry spell.“His village had faced a drought twice.”
- A longer than expected term without success, particularly in sport.“Sri Lanka ended their ten-game drought with a consolation win over Bangladesh.”
Where does drought come from?
From Middle English droughte, droghte, drouȝte, from Old English drūgaþ.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with drought
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of drought.
Questions about saying drought
How do you pronounce drought?
Say DROWT. The American pronunciation is /draʊt/. In British English it is /draʊt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in drought?
Drought is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: DROWT.
Do Americans and Brits say drought the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /draʊt/ and the British form is /draʊt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.