Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

taught

/toːt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.68 in modern English

Syllables: taught
IPA: /toːt/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

simple past and past participle of teach

adj

Misspelling of taut.

Example Sentences

"The bevel of the needle should be up and the injection should be made through taught skin."

Etymology

From Middle English taught(e), tau(h)t(e), from Old English tāhte, tǣhte, from Proto-Germanic *taihtē.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: taught, tāhte, *taihtē

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /toːt/
British English: /tɔːt/

Derived Forms

taughten untaught

Phrases

self-taught

Homonyms

taut tort (non-rhotic) tot (cot–caught merger) thought (th-stopping) thot (cot–caught merger, th-stopping)

Rhymes With

thought brought fought sought ought ot bot wrought wat distraught fraught naught

Questions

How do you pronounce taught?: The recorded pronunciation is /toːt/.
What does taught mean?: simple past and past participle of teach
Where does taught come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce taught

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “taught”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/toːt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “taught”.
Repeat and practice — Say “taught” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.