AU says “a” (laugh, aunt)
In a few words AU says short A “a” instead of “aw” — 'laugh' rhymes with 'staff'.
How this rule works
AU almost always says “aw” (author, autumn, because, sauce). A small group of words says short A “a” instead: laugh, laughter, aunt and draught. In laugh and draught the GH says /f/, so laugh is simply “laf”. These are worth learning by sight — the spelling gives no clue.
Remember: Laugh rhymes with staff — not with sauce!
Examples
Words that use this rule
7 words in the SnapPhonics dictionary use this rule. Tap any word to see how it breaks into sounds.
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