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Eva Easton

GH Words: bough, bow

Sunday, September 10, 2017 by Eva Easton Leave a Comment

Written ‘gh’ has no sound of its own.
It’s never pronounced as it’s written, i.e. /gh/.
Sometimes written ‘gh’ even disappears,
as in Silent GH words.


I wonder how an American pronounces
…
bough … bow … bow
 /baw/ … /baw/ … /bow/

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-aw-bough-bow.mp3

 


bough
/baw/

The birds are sitting on the bough of a tree.

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-aw-bough-birds.mp3

 

bough
/baw/

In this well-known American lullaby,
a baby in a cradle is hanging from the bough of a tree.

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-aw-bough-lullaby.mp3

 

bow
/baw/

The bow is the front of a ship.

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-aw-bow-ship.mp3

 

bow …  bowing
/baw/ … /ˈba–wɪŋ/

Actors take a bow when the audience applauds them.
Click on the picture and you can see Dracula bowing.

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-bow-dracula.mp3

 

bow wow
/baw–waw/

When American dogs bark, they say “Bow wow.”

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-bow-wow-dog.mp3

 

 bow
/bow/

She has a pink bow in her hair.

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-bow-pink-bow.mp3

 

bow tie
/ˈbow–tay/

The boy is wearing a bow tie and suspenders.

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-bow-tie.mp3

 

bow
/bow/

Do you want to learn to tie the perfect bow?  [link]

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-bow-tie-a-bow.mp3


bow and arrow
/ˈbo-wə-ˈnæ-row/

Cupid has a bow and arrow.

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-bow-cupid.mp3

 

bow
/bow/

We need a bow to play a violin.
We don’t use a bow to play the guitar.

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/o-bow-violin.mp3

Related Lessons:

  1. gh words
  2. gh words: secret 7 verbs
  3. gh words: silent
  4. gh words: f…g…p
  5. gh words: dough – doughnut
  6. gh words: rough – tough – enough – slough off
  7. gh words: cough – trough – ought to – wrought
  8. gh words: bough – bow
  9. gh words: homophones
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