5 letters · 2 sounds

How to pronounce
"dough"

"dough" is pronounced with 2 sounds across 2 phonics chunks: d · ough. Tap each box below to hear the sound, then blend them to read the word.

2 sounds · tap a box to hear each sound

Even though 'dough' has 5 letters, it has only 2 sounds — the grapheme 'ough' — a notoriously irregular English pattern.

How do you pronounce "dough"?

To pronounce "dough" correctly, say each of the 2 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. 1 Say the sound for "d" — then pause
  2. 2 Say the sound for "ough" — final sound
  3. ✓ Blend all 2 sounds together: "dough"

Words that rhyme with "dough"

snowauxcoebloweaubeauno

Frequently asked questions about "dough"

How do you pronounce "dough"?
To pronounce "dough", say each of its 2 phonics sound chunks in order — d, and ough — then blend them smoothly. Tap the sound boxes above to hear each chunk.
How many sound chunks are in "dough"?
"dough" has 2 phonics sound chunks: d · ough. 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 "dough"?
The phonics sounds in "dough" are d, and ough. Each chunk represents one distinct sound; together they spell the 5-letter word "dough".
How many letters are in "dough"?
"dough" has 5 letters and 2 phonics sound chunks.
What words rhyme with "dough"?
Words that rhyme with "dough" include "snow", "aux", "coe", "blow", "eau". See the full rhyme-family hub linked below.

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