How to pronounce thought
Say it like THAWT. Thought is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- THAWT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Thought pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- THAWTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of thought
American and British speakers say thought in essentially the same way: /θɔt/ in the US and /θɔːt/ in the UK.
British respelling: THAWT.
What does thought mean?
- A representation created in the mind without the use of one's faculties of vision, sound, smell, touch, or taste; an instance of thinking.“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
- The operation by which mental activity arise or are manipulated; the process of thinking; the agency by which thinking is accomplished.“Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.”
- A way of thinking (associated with a group, nation, region or idea).“Traditional eastern thought differs markedly from that of the west.”
- simple past and past participle of think How to pronounce think“Hi! I thought I’d come over and introduce myself. My name’s Chema.”
Where does thought come from?
From Middle English thought, ithoȝt, from Old English þōht, ġeþōht, from Proto-West Germanic *þą̄ht, from Proto-Germanic *þanhtaz, *gaþanhtą (“thought”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with thought
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of thought.
Questions about saying thought
How do you pronounce thought?
Say THAWT. The American pronunciation is /θɔt/. In British English it is /θɔːt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in thought?
Thought is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: THAWT.
Do Americans and Brits say thought the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /θɔt/ and the British form is /θɔːt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.