How to pronounce sought in American English

IPA /sɑt/ Syllables 1 · saht Stress 1st syllable

SAHT

Start here

Americans pronounce sought as SAHT (/sɑt/).

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "sought" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are

Tap the mic to start

Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "sought", 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.

Unlock the full report in the app

Why it sounds different

Why "sought" sounds like SAHT.

In "sought", 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 SAHT.

In real conversation

Hear "sought" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"He sought an injunction to stop the construction project."

hee SAHT uhn ihn·JUHNGK·shuhn tuh STAHP dhuh kuhn·STRUHK·shuhn PRAH·jehkt

"She sought help early when she recognized she was struggling."

shee SAHT HEHLP UR·lee wehn shee REH·kuhg·nahyzd shee wuhz STRUH·gluhng

"The broad audience sought more caught incidents."

dhuh BRAHD AH·dee·uhns SAHT MOR KAHT IHN·suh·duhnts

"She sought damages for the injury she sustained in the accident."

shee SAHT DA·muh·juhz fer dhee IHN·juh·ree shee suh·STAYND ihn dhee AK·suh·duhnt

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 "sought", 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.

sought→SAHT

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "sought" 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 "SAHT" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

Now you try.

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "sought" sounds like SAHT.

Hear "sought" 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.

Stop reading about "sought". Start saying it.