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Why "Loughborough" isn't said the way it's spelt
The "gh" in words like rough and tough once stood for a throaty sound, which in some words turned into an F and in others vanished. Loughborough shows both outcomes: the first "ough" became /ʌf/, as in "rough", while the second, in -borough, lost its consonant and became a weak "uh". The ending works just like the "-burgh" of Edinburgh.
The standard pronunciation is /ˈlʌfbərə/, often run together as "LUFF-bruh". Locals in Leicestershire say it this way and often shorten it to "Lufbra". Pronouncing the ending "borrow" or "burr-oh" is the most common mistake after the "ough".
How to say "Loughborough" like a local, step by step
- Say luff, rhyming with "rough" and "stuff".
- Go straight into a weak buh.
- End on a light ruh: a light R and a schwa, not "oh".
- Stress the first syllable: LUFF-buh-ruh, or LUFF-bruh in quick speech.
Practise "Loughborough" in a sentence
- Loughborough University is known for its sports science courses.
- We changed at Loughborough for the heritage railway.
- Loughborough is about halfway between Leicester and Nottingham.
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 Loughborough?
Loughborough is pronounced /ˈlʌfbərə/, roughly "LUFF-buh-ruh". Loughborough is LUFF-buh-ruh: "ough" as in "rough", ending like "borough".
Why is Loughborough not pronounced how it is spelt?
Many British place names kept old spellings while everyday speech shortened them over centuries, so the written form no longer matches how locals say it.