# ought

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɔːt/ · frequency rank #3,966

## Definitions
1. simple past of owe

## Etymology
From Middle English oughte, aughte, aȝte, ahte, from Old English āhte, first and third person singular past tense of Old English āgan (“to own, possess”), equivalent to owe + -t.
Cognate with Sanskrit ईश्वर (īśvará, “capable of, liable”).

## Easily confused with
- **out** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ought-vs-out)
- **oust** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ought-vs-oust)
- **ouch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ouch-vs-ought)

## Common misspellings (7)
`oguht`, `ougght`, `oughht`, `oughtt`, `ougth`, `ouhgt`, `uoght`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ought