2 syllables: Thor, ough. Stress on Thor.
THUR-oh
/ˈθɝoʊ/
Thorough is pronounced THUR-oh (/ˈθɝoʊ/). It has two syllables (Thor-ough), with the stress on "Thor". Thorough is an adjective meaning complete, careful, and without omission. It denotes exhaustive attention to detail and depth of coverage, often implying meticulousness and accuracy. In usage, you aim for full, comprehensive treatment, leaving nothing out, whether describing work, inspection, or analysis.
nounThorough is an adjective meaning complete, careful, and without omission. It denotes exhaustive attention to detail and depth of coverage, often implying meticulousness and accuracy. In usage, you aim for full, comprehensive treatment, leaving nothing out, whether describing work, inspection, or analysis.
How to Pronounce Thorough
"She conducted a thorough review of the manuscript, catching errors others missed."
"The inspector carried out a thorough examination of the building before approving it."
"To prepare for the exam, he did a thorough pass through all the material."
Phonetic guide: US/UK/AU share /ˈθɜːroʊ/ or /ˈθɜːrəʊ/ depending on speaker. Start with a strong initial TH sound /θ/ like thin, then an unstressed central vowel /ɜː/ or rhotacized /ə˞/ before a rounded, long /oʊ/ (US) or /oʊ/ with a short glide. The key is the quick, smooth transition from /θ/ to /ɜː/ and then to /roʊ/ or /rəʊ/. You’ll place your tongue between your teeth, relax the jaw, and avoid a heavy final consonant cluster. IPA: US /ˈθɜːroʊ/, UK /ˈθɜːrəʊ/, AU /ˈθɜːrəʊ/.
Common mistakes: (1) Misplacing the /r/—in non-rhotic varieties you may skip a rhoticity; (2) Slurring the sequence, yielding /θɜːroʊ/ becoming /θɜːro/ or /θɜːrəʊ/ with a weak /oʊ/; (3) Using a short /o/ instead of a long /oʊ/ glide. Corrections: emphasize the full mid-back vowel /ɜː/ or /əˈ/, ensure the /r/ is pronounced as a phoneme before the /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ glide, and maintain a steady, rounded lip position for the final /oʊ/.
US tends to produce /ˈθɜːroʊ/ with a prominent /ɜː/ and clear /roʊ/; UK often uses /ˈθɜːrəʊ/ with a slightly more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable and less rhoticity in some dialects; Australian usually yields /ˈθɜːrəʊ/ with a rounded /oʊ/ and a mid-central vowel in the second syllable. Main differences: rhoticity and vowel quality; all share the stressed first syllable /θ/ and the /roʊ/ or /rəʊ/ nucleus, but the second vowel is more centralized in British pronunciation.
The difficulty lies in the rapid sequence of the dental fricative /θ/, the mid-central or rhotacized vowel /ɜː/ or /ə/, and the long rounded /oʊ/ glide. Balancing the tongue tip placement for /θ/ with the retraction into /ɜː/ and the smooth, rounded lip rounding for /oʊ/ creates a complex motor pattern. Also, non-rhotic varieties may reduce the /r/ in some contexts, which can disrupt the expected sequence.
A unique aspect is the strong contrast between the voiceless dental /θ/ and the following rhotacized or central vowel /ɜː/ (or /ə/). The key is keeping the tongue at the teeth for /θ/ and then quickly shifting to a neutral or rhotacized /ɜː/ before the glide into /oʊ/ or /əʊ/. Practicing minimal pairs like thought/through can help anchor lip rounding and tongue transition.
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Thorough traces to the Old English word thor, meaning ‘burn or dry’ in some related Germanic roots, but the modern sense evolved through Middle English from the phrase thro(u)gh-ē, derived from the Old French vors (through) and au (to) and inappropriate derivation. The form thorough entered English around the 14th century, originally meaning ‘complete, entire’ in a physical or spatial sense, later extending to ‘careful, complete in conduct or description.’ The sense shift toward meticulousness solidified in technical and scholarly usage by the 17th–18th centuries, aligning with phrases like “thorough search” or “thoroughgoing.” First known uses appear in legal and scholastic texts, where precision and absence of omission were valued, reinforcing the notion of completeness and careful scrutiny over time.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Thorough" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Thorough" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Thorough"
-ugh sounds
-me) sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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