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Question

Difficulty: HardRhymes and Sound Matching

Which of the following words forms an exact phonetic rhyme with the word slough (when used in the context of shedding skin)?

  1. roughAnswer
  2. B
    plough
  3. C
    through
  4. D
    cough

Answer

The word 'rough' rhymes exactly with 'slough'.
The word 'slough' in the context of shedding or casting off skin is pronounced /slʌf/. The word 'rough' is pronounced /rʌf/. Because both words end with the exact same phonetic sequence /ʌf/, they form an exact end rhyme.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the phonetic transcription of the target word
The verb 'slough' (to cast off or shed) is phonetically transcribed as /slʌf/.
Rhyming depends entirely on modern English pronunciation, not orthographic spelling.
2
Analyze the phonetic transcriptions of each option
'rough' is transcribed as /rʌf/, 'plough' as /plaʊ/, 'through' as /θruː/, and 'cough' as /kɒf/.
To form an exact end rhyme, the nucleus vowel sound and final consonant sounds must be identical.
3
Identify the matching phonetic end rhyme
/rʌf/ matches /slʌf/ perfectly in both the vowel /ʌ/ and final consonant /f/.
Both words terminate in the phonetic sequence /ʌf/.

Key Concept

Phonetic End Rhyme and Variable '-ough' Pronunciation
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Topics

Rhymes and Sound Matching

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