Pronunciation guide
How to pronounce borough
BUR-oh (US) or BUH-ruh (UK); the '-ough' is just an unstressed 'oh' or 'uh'
US/ˈbɝˌoʊ/
bɝoʊ
UK/ˈbʌɹə/
bʌɹə
New to IPA symbols? Read the IPA guide.
Common mistake
The '-ough' is not 'ow' or 'oo' - it is 'BUR-oh', rhyming with 'thorough'.
What “borough” means
A self-governing town or, in some cities such as New York and London, one of the administrative divisions of the city.
Historically, a fortified town.
In a sentence
- New York City is made up of five boroughs.
- She moved to a quiet borough of the city that has its own local council.
Definitions and examples are derived from Wiktionary, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, then edited by QuickPronounce. Pronunciation data draws on CMUdict.