How to pronounce slough
Say it like SLUHF. Slough is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce slough. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SLUHF
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Slough pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SLUHFSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
American vs British pronunciation of slough
American and British speakers say slough in essentially the same way: /slʌf/ in the US and /slʌf/ in the UK.
British respelling: SLUHF.
What does slough mean?
- The skin shed by a snake or other reptile.“That is the slough of a rattler; we must be careful.”
- Dead skin on a sore or ulcer.“This is the slough that came off of his skin after the burn.”
- A marshy or muddy area.
- A type of swamp or shallow lake system, typically formed as or by the backwater of a larger waterway, similar to a bayou with trees.“We paddled under a canopy of trees through the slough.”
- A secondary channel of a river delta, usually flushed by the tide.“The Sacramento River Delta contains dozens of sloughs that are often used for water-skiing and fishing.”
- To shed skin or outer layers.“This skin is being sloughed.”
- To slide off or flake off, as an outer layer, such as skin, might do.“A week after he was burned, a layer of skin on his arm sloughed off.”
- To discard.“East sloughed a heart.”
Where does slough come from?
Akin to Middle Low German slô (“sheath, skin on a hoof”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with slough
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of slough.
Questions about saying slough
How do you pronounce slough?
Say SLUHF. The American pronunciation is /slʌf/. In British English it is /slʌf/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in slough?
Slough is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SLUHF.
Do Americans and Brits say slough the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /slʌf/ and the British form is /slʌf/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.