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How to pronounce thorough

Thorough is pronounced THUR-oh in American English and THUH-ruh in British English. It has two syllables with the stress on the first, and it starts with th, tongue between the teeth. It sounds nothing like through, which has one syllable.

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  • 2 syllables
  • Stress on THUR
  • US and UK IPA
  • Checked in Cambridge and Oxford

thorough

Two syllables, stress on the first

adjective · careful and complete, with every part checked or done

  1. THURθɝː (stressed)
  2. ohoʊ
  • US /ˈθɝː.oʊ/THUR-oh Recorded voice
  • UK /ˈθʌr.ə/THUH-ruh Your device’s voice

Also said: US /ˈθɝː.ə/.

IPA checked in the Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. Cambridge gives THUR-uh for American English. Oxford and Cambridge's American dictionary give THUR-oh. The recording is American English.

Thorough, sound by sound

Each sound in the IPA, with a word you already know that has it.

US American English/ˈθɝː.oʊ/

  1. THURstressed

    • /θ/as in thin
    • /ɝː/as in bird (US)

  2. oh

    • /oʊ/as in go (US)

UK British English/ˈθʌr.ə/

  1. THUHstressed

    • /θ/as in thin
    • /ʌ/as in cup
    • /r/as in red

  2. ruh

    • /ə/as in about

Say thorough yourself

Press the microphone and say it once. Your browser writes down what it hears: if it writes thorough, you were understood. If it writes another word, you see which sound changed.

Tip. The ough is oh in American English and a short uh in British English. It is not through or though.

Record yourself and play it next to our recording: the quickest way to hear a difference.

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thorough

    Common thorough pronunciation mistakes

    What people often say instead, and how to fix it. Say THUR-oh.

    • NotTHROO

      Confusing it with through. Thorough has two syllables, and the r comes after the first vowel.

    • NotTHOR-oh

      Saying thor as in Thor or door. The first vowel is the ur of fur (US) or the u of cup (UK).

    • Notthuh-ROH

      Stressing the second syllable. Put the beat on the first: THUR or THUH.

    Thorough in a sentence

    Hear each one, slow it down, then say it. Words change a little when they join others, so practise them in sentences too.

    • The mechanic gave the car a thorough check.

    • Police carried out a thorough search of the house.

    • Her notes are always neat and thorough.

    What is the difference between thorough and through?

    They began as the same word. Old English had thurh, and thorough was another form of through, with an extra vowel. You can still see the old meaning in thoroughfare, a road that goes through a place.

    Over time the two forms split. Through kept the meaning of from one side to the other. Thorough became an adjective meaning complete, going all the way through a job.

    The ough spelling is famous for its many sounds: through, though, thought, tough and cough all differ. In thorough it is oh in American English, THUR-oh, and a weak uh in British English, THUH-ruh. Cambridge also lists THUR-uh for American English.

    Words that sound like thorough

    Rhymes and words that share its tricky sound. Open any of them in the checker and say it.

    More words with hard sounds

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