How to pronounce taught in American English

IPA /tɔt/ Syllables 1 · taht Stress 1st syllable

TAHT

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Americans pronounce taught as TAHT (/tɔt/).

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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 "taught", 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 "taught" sounds like TAHT.

In "taught", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, a small move that separates 'classroom' from 'native'. It comes out as TAHT.

In real conversation

Hear "taught" in the wild.

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

hee TAHT uh PAH·pyuh·ler roh·BAH·duhks KORS uht dhuh KAH·luhj

"He taught the material to others to deepen his understanding."

hee TAHT dhuh muh·TEER·ee·uhl tuh UH·dherz tuh DEE·puhn hihz uhn·der·STAN·duhng

"The author taught a long talk on law and order."

dhee AH·ther TAHT uh lahng TAHK ahn LAH and OR·der

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 "taught", 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.

taught→TAHT

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

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Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "taught" sounds like TAHT.

Hear "taught" 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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