/f/ — choose the word that contains the sound represented by the given phonetic symbol

Analyze the question: You are asked to find the word that contains the consonant sound /f/ (the sound at the start of "fish" or "fun"). Note that you must listen to the sound, not just look at the spelling.

Explain the concept: In English, the /f/ sound can be spelled in different ways: "f" (fan), "ph" (phone), and "gh" (tough, laugh, enough). Some "gh" words are tricky because "gh" can also be silent (e.g., "though", "bough").

Solution, going through each option:

• A. bough is pronounced /baʊ/ (rhymes with "cow"). The "gh" is silent, so there is no /f/ sound.
• B. tough is pronounced /tʌf/ (rhymes with "stuff"). The "gh" makes the /f/ sound, so it is present.
• C. patent is pronounced /ˈpeɪtənt/ or /ˈpætənt/. The sounds are /p, t, n/, with no /f/.
• D. brave is pronounced /breɪv/. It ends in /v/, which is the voiced counterpart of /f/, but it is not /f/.

Answer: The correct option is **B.

Tip: Watch the "gh" letter combination:

• "gh" = /f/ in tough, rough, enough, laugh, cough
• "gh" = silent in bough, though, daughter, night, high

Also, don't confuse /f/ (voiceless, as in "fan") with /v/ (voiced, as in "van"). Put your hand on your throat: for /v/ you feel a vibration, but for /f/ you do not.