How to pronounce “thorough”
Say “thorough” in 2 beats
thorough
/ˈθɝoʊ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈθʌɹə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- thorθɝstress
- oughoʊ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈθɝoʊ/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈθʌɹə/
- Also accepted
- /ˈθɔɹoʊ/
- Respelling
- THUR-oh (UK THUH-ruh)
- Syllables
- 2 — THOR-ough
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: THOR-ough. “thor” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈθɝoʊ/
Ends on the vowel of go.
/ˈθʌɹə/
Ends on a plain schwa, so it rhymes with borough.
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “thorough” goes wrong
- Often heard
“THROO”/θɹu/
that is through; thorough has two syllables
What “thorough” means
- adjective
painstakingly careful and accurate
“our accountant is thorough”
- adjective
performed comprehensively and completely
“an exhaustive study”
Say it in a sentence
“She gave the kitchen a thorough clean before the guests arrived.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“thorough”, answered
How do you pronounce “thorough”?
“thorough” is pronounced /ˈθɝoʊ/ (THUR-oh (UK THUH-ruh)) in American English and /ˈθʌɹə/ in British English, and /ˈθɔɹoʊ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “thor”. Build it as THOR-ough, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “thorough” have?
2: thor · ough. The beat lands on the first, “thor”.
Is “thorough” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈθɝoʊ/ (THUR-oh (UK THUH-ruh)); British English says /ˈθʌɹə/. Ends on a plain schwa, so it rhymes with borough. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “thorough” mean?
As an adjective: painstakingly careful and accurate For example: “our accountant is thorough” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “thorough”?
Stress the first syllable: THOR-ough. “thor” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “thorough” 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.