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    Pronunciation · British place names

    How to pronounce “Loughborough”

    LUF-bruh

    2 syllables · stress on “LUF”

    LUFbruh
    Britishˈlʌfbrə
    Americanˈlʌfbʌroʊ

    In short

    “Loughborough” is pronounced LUF-bruh: 2 syllables, with the stress on “LUF”. The word contains the -ough spelling twice and pronounces it two different ways: /ʌf/ the first time and a weak /brə/ the second. Twelve letters, two syllables. The version to avoid is LOW-buh-ROW — four syllables, guessing at both “ough” spellings.

    Say “Loughborough” in 3 steps

    1. 1Two syllables: LUF-bruh.
    2. 2The first -ough is /ʌf/, as in “rough” and “tough”.
    3. 3The -borough ending is a weak “bruh”, as in Edinburgh and Peterborough.

    The version to avoid

    Commonly said as: LOW-buh-ROW — four syllables, guessing at both “ough” spellings

    The word contains the -ough spelling twice and pronounces it two different ways: /ʌf/ the first time and a weak /brə/ the second. Twelve letters, two syllables.

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    Real speakers

    No free human recording of “Loughborough” exists yet in the public archives we draw on, so the audio above is our model voice. It is accurate for this word — a human clip would simply add natural variation on top.

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    The sounds inside this word

    Each links to a full guide with mouth position, audio and drills. If a word keeps failing, the problem is usually one of these.

    ll as in lightʌu as in cupff as in fanbb as in bedrr as in redəa as in about (schwa)

    More british place names

    Same pattern, same fix. Learning them as a group is far faster than one at a time.

    WorcestershireWUUS-tuh-shuhLeicesterLES-tuhGloucesterGLOS-tuhEdinburghED-in-bruhThamesTEMZGreenwichGREN-ich

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    Frequently asked questions

    How do you pronounce Loughborough?
    Loughborough is pronounced LUF-bruh, written /ˈlʌfbrə/ in IPA. Two syllables: LUF-bruh.
    How many syllables are in Loughborough?
    two: LUF-bruh. The stress falls on “LUF”.
    What is the most common mistake with Loughborough?
    LOW-buh-ROW — four syllables, guessing at both “ough” spellings. The word contains the -ough spelling twice and pronounces it two different ways: /ʌf/ the first time and a weak /brə/ the second. Twelve letters, two syllables.

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