How to pronounce “caught”
Say “caught” in one beat
caught
/kɔt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /kɔːt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- caughtkɔt
- IPA (American)
- /kɔt/
- IPA (British)
- /kɔːt/
- Respelling
- KAWT
- Syllables
- 1 — caught
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɔt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/kɔt/
/kɔːt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “caught” goes wrong
- Often heard
“KOT”
in most accents it is the longer vowel of law, not the short o of cot
What “caught” means
- verb
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
“She caught her son eating candy”
- verb
perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily
“I caught the aroma of coffee”
- verb
reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot
“the rock caught her in the back of the head”
Say it in a sentence
“He caught the last train by less than a minute.”“caught”, answered
How do you pronounce “caught”?
“caught” is pronounced /kɔt/ (KAWT) in American English and /kɔːt/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kɔt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “caught” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /kɔt/ — a single beat.
Is “caught” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /kɔt/ (KAWT); British English says /kɔːt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “caught” mean?
As a verb: discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state For example: “She caught her son eating candy” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “caught”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɔt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “caught” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.