ou

In American English

This lesson covers the English multigraph 'ou,' focusing on its various pronunciations. We'll explore how 'ou' can represent different sounds in words.

'ou' is one of the most common digraphs in English grammar. In this lesson, we will learn how it is pronounced.

Digraphs are a set of two letters that stand together and produce a new sound.

Digraph	ou
Name	ui (pronounced /ˈəʊ ˈjuː/)
Common Sound(s)	/aʊ/, /ʌ/, /uː/, /oʊ/, /ə/, /ʊ/

The Digraph 'ou'

Sound 1: /aʊ/

'ou' always stands in the middle of words and it can sound /aʊ/:

house /haʊs/

cloud /klaʊd/

mountain /ˈmaʊn.tɪn/

fountain /ˈfaʊn.tən/

Sound 2: /ʌ/

'ou' in the middle of words also sounds /ʌ/:

touch /tʌtʃ/

tough /tʌf/

cousin /ˈkʌz.ən/

Sound 3: /uː/

'ou' standing in the middle of words or in the word 'you' can sound /uː/:

group /ɡruːp/

soup /suːp/

you /juː/

Sound 4: /oʊ/

'ou' standing in the middle of words can sound /oʊ/:

shoulder /ˈʃoʊl.dɚ/

boulder /ˈboʊl.dɚ/

soul /soʊl/

Sound 5: /ə/

'ou' mainly in 'ous', that stands at the end of words, sounds /ə/:

enormous /ɪˈnɔː.məs/

famous /ˈfeɪ.məs/

glamorous /ˈɡlæm.ər.əs/

courageous /kəˈreɪ.dʒəs/

Sound 6: /ʊ/

'ou' standing in the middle of words also sounds /ʊ/ especially in the word 'tour' and its derived forms.

contour /ˈkɑːn.tʊr/

tour /tʊr/

tourist /ˈtʊr.ɪst/

Tip!

In the word 'cough', the letters 'ou' sound /ɑ/:

cough /kɑf/

Sound 7: /ɔ/

'ou' can sound /ɔ/, too:

thought /θɔt/

wrought /ɹɔt/

bought /bɔt/

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