oughtn't
/ˈɔːtənt/verb
oughtn't is spelled O-U-G-H-T-N-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 111,684th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, oughtn't means “(US, Philippines, dated, rare) ought not (negative auxiliary)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in oughtn't?
| Letters | 7: O-U-G-H-T-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 14 million words; the 111,684th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is oughtn't?
Oughtn't appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 111,684th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce oughtn't?
- UK /ˈɔːtənt/
- UK [ˈɔːtn̩t]
- British /ˈoːtənt/
Oughtn't has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-US_oughtn't.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with oughtn't?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as oughtn't from its last stressed vowel (/ɔtənt/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
What does oughtn't mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
CommonwealthIrelandUK(US, Philippines, dated, rare) ought not (negative auxiliary).
We ought to wake dad, oughtn't we?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does oughtn't come from?
From ought + -n't.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).