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Why "laugh" sounds different in British English
RP says /lɑːf/, American English /læf/. Despite the spelling, the vowel is not the /ɔː/ of "caught" or "taught". It is the long /ɑː/ of "father", matching other BATH words before F such as "staff" and "after".
The final GH is an F, as in "cough" and "enough". The L at the start is a "clear" L, made with the tongue tip and a fairly high front tongue, unlike the dark L at the end of "castle". "Laughter" keeps the long vowel and adds a crisp T: /ˈlɑːftə/. In Northern accents, "laugh" usually has a short a.
How to say "laugh" like a Brit, step by step
- Touch your tongue tip behind your top teeth for a clear, light l.
- Open into a long ah. Ignore the "au" spelling: no rounding.
- Finish with f, top teeth on the lower lip.
- For "laughter", add a real T and a schwa: LAHF-tuh.
Practise "laugh" in a sentence
- She made the whole room laugh.
- We had a good laugh about it afterwards.
- Don't laugh, I'm being serious!
Saying it once correctly is easy. Saying it right in the middle of a fast sentence is the hard part, which is why the sentences above matter more than the single word.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce laugh in a British accent?
In Received Pronunciation, laugh is pronounced /lɑːf/, roughly "LAHF". It rhymes with "half": lahf, with an F sound for the GH.
Is the American pronunciation of laugh wrong?
No. /læf/ is standard in American English. Both are correct, they simply belong to different accents. If you are learning a British accent, aim for /lɑːf/.