welcome to the minute of speech
this confusing word pair is a common mistake of most ESL speakers
the words are taught
the past tense of to teach and
thought
the past tense of to think
to say these words correctly focus on the initial consonant sounds T
and TH
the ending of each word UGHT is pronounced the same
even though they are spelled differently
to say taught
start by saying T by
placing your tongue behind your top teeth
add the short and open AH sound
end with a T by placing your tongue behind your top teeth
taught
to say thought
start by saying TH by placing your tongue between your teeth and keep the air moving
add the short and open
AH sound
end with a T by placing your tongue
behind your top teeth
thought
let's try it
taught
thought
taught thought
try it
people will notice the difference