English spelling can sometimes feel confusing, especially when two letters together don’t always make the same sound. One of the trickiest pairs is the digraph “gh.” It appears in many common words, but it doesn’t always behave in the same way. Let’s break it down step by step.
Consonant Digraph “gh”
What is the Digraph “gh”?
The digraph “gh” is two letters—g and h—that combine to make different sounds depending on the word. Sometimes it’s pronounced, sometimes it’s silent, and sometimes it represents a special sound.
“gh” is NOT always one single sound. Instead, it has several patterns.
How is “gh” Pronounced?
Here are the most common ways “gh” behaves:
Silent “gh”
In many words, especially after vowels, “gh” is silent.
✅ Examples:
-
high /haɪ/
-
light /laɪt/
-
night /naɪt/
-
sigh /saɪ/
-
bought /bɔːt/
/f/ Sound
In some words, “gh” makes the sound /f/.
✅ Examples:
-
laugh /læf/
-
cough /kɔːf/
-
tough /tʌf/
-
enough /ɪˈnʌf/
-
rough /rʌf/
/g/ Sound
Occasionally, “gh” keeps the “g” sound. This happens mainly in a few words of Germanic origin.
✅ Examples:
-
ghost /ɡoʊst/
-
ghastly /ˈɡæstli/
Words with Consonant Digraph “gh”
Words with Silent “gh” in the Middle
| Word | IPA |
|---|---|
| night | /naɪt/ |
| light | /laɪt/ |
| fight | /faɪt/ |
| right | /raɪt/ |
| sight | /saɪt/ |
| might | /maɪt/ |
| tight | /taɪt/ |
| bright | /braɪt/ |
| flight | /flaɪt/ |
| fright | /fraɪt/ |
| knight | /naɪt/ |
| weight | /weɪt/ |
| height | /haɪt/ |
| drought | /draʊt/ |
| thought | /θɔːt/ |
| bought | /bɔːt/ |
| brought | /brɔːt/ |
| sought | /sɔːt/ |
| caught | /kɔːt/ |
| daughter | /ˈdɔːtə(r)/ |
| taught | /tɔːt/ |
| naught | /nɔːt/ |
| ought | /ɔːt/ |
| sleight | /sleɪt/ |
| wright | /raɪt/ |
| blight | /blaɪt/ |
| slight | /slaɪt/ |
| alight | /əˈlaɪt/ |
| delight | /dɪˈlaɪt/ |
| insight | /ˈɪnsaɪt/ |
| oversight | /ˈəʊvəsaɪt/ |
| twilight | /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/ |
| tonight | /təˈnaɪt/ |
| upright | /ˈʌpraɪt/ |
| moonlight | /ˈmuːnlaɪt/ |
| starlight | /ˈstɑːlaɪt/ |
| highlight | /ˈhaɪlaɪt/ |
| flashlight | /ˈflæʃlaɪt/ |
| playwright | /ˈpleɪraɪt/ |
| hindsight | /ˈhaɪndsaɪt/ |
| fortnight | /ˈfɔːtnaɪt/ |
| outright | /ˈaʊtraɪt/ |
| unsightly | /ʌnˈsaɪtli/ |
| enlighten | /ɪnˈlaɪtn/ |
| brightness | /ˈbraɪtnəs/ |
| lightweight | /ˈlaɪtweɪt/ |
| heavyweight | /ˈhevɪweɪt/ |
| spotlight | /ˈspɒtlaɪt/ |
| nightlight | /ˈnaɪtlaɪt/ |
Words with Silent “gh” at the End
| Word | IPA |
|---|---|
| bough | /baʊ/ |
| dough | /dəʊ/ |
| though | /ðəʊ/ |
| although | /ɔːlˈðəʊ/ |
| plough | /plaʊ/ |
| borough | /ˈbʌrə/ |
| sleigh | /sleɪ/ |
| weigh | /weɪ/ |
| neigh | /neɪ/ |
| through | /θruː/ |
Words with “gh” = /f/ Sound
| Word | IPA |
|---|---|
| cough | /kɒf/ |
| enough | /ɪˈnʌf/ |
| rough | /rʌf/ |
| tough | /tʌf/ |
| laugh | /læf/ |
| draught | /drɑːft/ |
| trough | /trɒf/ |
| slough | /slʌf/ |
Words with “gh” = /g/ Sound
| Word | IPA |
|---|---|
| ghost | /ɡoʊst/ |
| ghastly | /ˈɡæstli/ |
| ghoul | /ɡuːl/ |
| gherkin | /ˈɡɜːrkɪn/ |
| Ghibli | /ˈɡɪbli/ |
| spaghetti | /spəˈɡɛti/ |
| Afghanistan | /æfˈɡænɪstæn/ |