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English Quiz - Spelling: -ough (Questions)

Time for a KS2 English spelling quiz, focusing on the tricky letters 'ough'! Rough, bough, and cough may look alike, but they sound very different. Did you know there are seven ways to say 'ough' in English? It makes some words tough to spell and read. 'Ought' doesn't rhyme with 'slough' at all!

Here are the seven 'ough' sounds:

  1. plough - like ow in power
  2. cough - like off
  3. though - like o in no
  4. through - like oo in boo
  5. rough - like uff in fluff
  6. ought - like aw in claw
  7. borough - like a in above

Test your 'ough' spelling with this interesting quiz!

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1. Choose the correct spellings.
I ____ I ____ the banana peel in the bin.
[ ] thort, through
[ ] thort, threw
[ ] thought, through
[ ] thought, threw
2. Choose the correct spellings.
Despite suddenly beginning to ____, I still ____ the ball.
[ ] cough, caught
[ ] cough, cought
[ ] coff, caught
[ ] coff, cought
3. Choose the correct spellings.
When the clown fell off the stage, I ____ the urge to ____.
[ ] fought, laff
[ ] fought, laugh
[ ] fawt, laff
[ ] fawt, laugh
4. Choose the correct spellings.
____ the snake looked smooth, it was actually very ____.
[ ] Althow, ruff
[ ] Althow, rough
[ ] Although, ruff
[ ] Although, rough
5. Choose the correct spellings.
The chef ____ everyone the best way to cook a piece of ____ beef.
[ ] taut, tough
[ ] taut, tuff
[ ] taught, tough
[ ] taught, tuff
6. Choose the correct spellings.
Do we have ____ flour to make a double batch of pastry ____?
[ ] enuff, dough
[ ] enuff, doe
[ ] enough, dough
[ ] enough, doe
7. Choose the correct spellings.
The farmer tried unsuccessfully to train his ____ to pull the ____.
[ ] goats, plough
[ ] goats, plow
[ ] goughts, plough
[ ] goughts, plow
8. Choose the correct spellings.
Their ____ knew that she ____ to say sorry, even if it would be difficult.
[ ] daughter, aught
[ ] daughter, ought
[ ] dotter, aught
[ ] dotter, ought
9. Choose the correct spellings.
____ the leaves, he could just spy the forlorn figure of the cat sitting on one of the uppermost ____ of the fir tree.
[ ] Through, boughs
[ ] Through, bows
[ ] Threw, boughs
[ ] Threw, bows
10. Choose the correct spellings.
My Mum ____ my Dad was looking thin and ____, so she ____ him some vitamins and minerals.
[ ] thought, gount, baught
[ ] thought, gaunt, bought
[ ] thoht, gaunt, bott
[ ] thought, gont, bowht

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Which words use the 'ough' sound?

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English Quiz - Spelling: -ough (Answers)
1. Choose the correct spellings.
I ____ I ____ the banana peel in the bin.
[ ] thort, through
[ ] thort, threw
[ ] thought, through
[x] thought, threw
I thought I threw the banana peel in the bin.
2. Choose the correct spellings.
Despite suddenly beginning to ____, I still ____ the ball.
[x] cough, caught
[ ] cough, cought
[ ] coff, caught
[ ] coff, cought
Despite suddenly beginning to cough, I still caught the ball.
3. Choose the correct spellings.
When the clown fell off the stage, I ____ the urge to ____.
[ ] fought, laff
[x] fought, laugh
[ ] fawt, laff
[ ] fawt, laugh
When the clown fell off the stage, I fought the urge to laugh.
4. Choose the correct spellings.
____ the snake looked smooth, it was actually very ____.
[ ] Althow, ruff
[ ] Althow, rough
[ ] Although, ruff
[x] Although, rough
Although the snake looked smooth, it was actually very rough.
5. Choose the correct spellings.
The chef ____ everyone the best way to cook a piece of ____ beef.
[ ] taut, tough
[ ] taut, tuff
[x] taught, tough
[ ] taught, tuff
The chef taught everyone the best way to cook a piece of tough beef.
6. Choose the correct spellings.
Do we have ____ flour to make a double batch of pastry ____?
[ ] enuff, dough
[ ] enuff, doe
[x] enough, dough
[ ] enough, doe
Do we have enough flour to make a double batch of pastry dough?
7. Choose the correct spellings.
The farmer tried unsuccessfully to train his ____ to pull the ____.
[x] goats, plough
[ ] goats, plow
[ ] goughts, plough
[ ] goughts, plow
The farmer tried unsuccessfully to train his goats to pull the plough. American English, however, uses the spelling 'plow'.
8. Choose the correct spellings.
Their ____ knew that she ____ to say sorry, even if it would be difficult.
[ ] daughter, aught
[x] daughter, ought
[ ] dotter, aught
[ ] dotter, ought
Their daughter knew that she ought to say sorry, even if it would be difficult.
9. Choose the correct spellings.
____ the leaves, he could just spy the forlorn figure of the cat sitting on one of the uppermost ____ of the fir tree.
[x] Through, boughs
[ ] Through, bows
[ ] Threw, boughs
[ ] Threw, bows
Through the leaves, he could just spy the forlorn figure of the cat sitting on one of the uppermost boughs of the fir tree.
10. Choose the correct spellings.
My Mum ____ my Dad was looking thin and ____, so she ____ him some vitamins and minerals.
[ ] thought, gount, baught
[x] thought, gaunt, bought
[ ] thoht, gaunt, bott
[ ] thought, gont, bowht
My Mum thought my Dad was looking thin and gaunt, so she bought him some vitamins and minerals.