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This article is from the Puzzles FAQ, by Chris Cole chris@questrel.questrel.com and Matthew Daly mwdaly@pobox.com with numerous contributions by others.

250 language/english/pronunciation/homograph/different.pronunciation.p

What sequence of letters has the most different pronunciations?

language/english/pronunciation/homograph/different.pronunciation.s

OUGH (28)
  common words:
   <sw>     BOROUGH, THOROUGH
   <sw>f    TOUGH
   <sw>p    HICCOUGH
   <a">     NOUGHT
   <au>     BOUGH
   <a">f    COUGH
   <o_>     THOUGH
   <o.>     OUGHT
   <o.>f    COUGH
   <u">     THROUGH
  uncommon words:
   <sw>k    TURLOUGH (dialectical, obsolete)
   <sw><k_> BROUGH (dialectical)
   <sw>w    BOROUGH, THOROUGH
   <a">ft   TROUGH (dialectical)
   <a">k    LOUGH (dialectical)
   <a"><k_> DOUGHT, LOUGH (dialectical)
   <a">th   TROUGH (dialectical)
   <o_>g    SKEOUGH (dialectical, obsolete)
   <o_>k    WOUGH (dialectical, obsolete)
   <o_><k_> BOUGHT, HOUGH (dialectical)
   <o.>ft   TROUGH (dialectical)
   <o.>th   TROUGH (dialectical)
   <u">f    SOUGH (dialectical, obsolete)
   <u">g    SLOUGHI
   <u">k    OUGH (obsolete)
   <u"><k_> OUGH
   <u.>f    SOUGH (dialectical, obsolete)
   <u.><k_> OUGH
 
Pronunciation Key:
<sw>  the, humdrum
<a">  bother, cot
<a.>  father
<au>  now, loud
<o_>  bone, snow
<o.>  saw, all
<u">  rule, fool
<u.>  pull, wood
<k_>  German ch in ich-laut

Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

 

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