Speaking 'properly' (nothing to do with the French)

[davewitley]

Geoff Bannister wrote:

> Mark you, when you start looking at the -ough words or words with -
ough-
> in them, you open a real can of worms because they fall into 
several 
> different pronunciation groups. Sort the pips out of the following:
> 
> bough, slough
> cough, enough
> dough
> fought, ought
> lough (the Irish lake)
> rough, tough
> through
> 
> That's seven possibilities. What have I missed?

thorough, borough
hiccough (also in Lynn's most excellent doggerel)

The sound in 'doughty' is IMO slightly shorter than in 'bough', 
and 'brougham' shorter than in 'through'.  Not sure that's all, 
though.  Anything to rhyme with 'oaf'?

Surely 'enough' goes with 'rough' and 'tough' (and chough).

I have come across the surname Waugh pronounced to rhyme 
with 'law', 'cough', and 'loch'.

David, sitting on a sougha with his feet on a pough.