6 letters · 3 sounds · updated 15 Aug 2026
How to pronounce
"bought"
"bought" is pronounced with 3 sounds across 3 phonics chunks: b · ough · t. Tap each box below to hear the sound, then blend them to read the word.
Even though 'bought' has 6 letters, it has only 3 sounds — the grapheme 'ough' — a notoriously irregular English pattern.
How do you pronounce "bought"?
To pronounce "bought" correctly, say each of the 3 sounds in order, then blend them smoothly. This technique — Elkonin sound boxes — is used in thousands of US classrooms following the Science of Reading approach. Here's the step-by-step phonics method:
- 1 Say the sound for "b" — then pause
- 2 Say the sound for "ough" — then pause
- 3 Say the sound for "t" — final sound
- ✓ Blend all 3 sounds together: "bought"
Frequently asked questions about "bought"
- How do you pronounce "bought"?
- To pronounce "bought", say each of its 3 phonics sound chunks in order — b, ough, and t — then blend them smoothly. Tap the sound boxes above to hear each chunk.
- How many sound chunks are in "bought"?
- "bought" has 3 phonics sound chunks: b · ough · t. Breaking a word into chunks helps kids decode it one sound at a time using the Science of Reading approach.
- What are the phonics sounds in "bought"?
- The phonics sounds in "bought" are b, ough, and t. Each chunk represents one distinct sound; together they spell the 6-letter word "bought".
- How many letters are in "bought"?
- "bought" has 6 letters and 3 phonics sound chunks.
- What words rhyme with "bought"?
- Words that rhyme with "bought" include "plot", "allot", "got", "cot", "blot". See the full rhyme-family hub linked below.