How to spell thought

hear itthought/θɔt/nounLong vowels

What it means: The content of what you are thinking about.

In a sentence: I had a happy thought while playing in the park.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as thaught or thort.

Same family: think, thinking, thoughtful, thoughtless, thoughts. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Thought” comes from Old English “þoht,” related to the verb “think.” The unusual spelling with “-ough-” shows its long history in English, where many words changed pronunciation but kept their older spellings.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

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