How to pronounce bought in American English

IPA /bɔt/ Syllables 1 · baht Stress 1st syllable

BAHT

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Americans pronounce bought as BAHT (/bɔt/).

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "bought", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

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Why it sounds different

Why "bought" sounds like BAHT.

In "bought", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, and it's one of the defining features of casual American English. It comes out as BAHT.

In real conversation

Hear "bought" in the wild.

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"He bought a beautiful flower and a bag of flour."

hee BAHT uh BYOO·tuh·fuhl FLOW·er uhnd uh BAG uhv FLOW·er

"He bought a new baseball glove for the upcoming season."

hee BAHT uh noo BAYS·bahl GLUHV fer dhee UHP·kuh·muhng SEE·zuhn

"I bought a classic vinyl record at the music store."

ahy BAHT uh KLA·suhk VAHY·nuhl REH·kerd uht dhuh MYOO·zuhk STOR

"I bought a monthly pass for unlimited subway rides."

ahy BAHT uh MUHNTH·lee PAS fer uhn·LIH·muh·tuhd SUHB·way RAHYDZ

"I bought a small pot for the new office plant."

ahy BAHT uh SMAHL PAHT fer dhuh noo AH·fuhs PLANT

"I bought it on sale for fifty dollars."

ahy BAHT iht ahn SAYL fer FIHF·tee DAH·lerz

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "bought", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

bought→BAHT

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "bought" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "BAHT" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "bought" sounds like BAHT.

Hear "bought" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

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