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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

oughtn't en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ˈɑtənt/ (cot-caught-merger)
  • [ˈɑtn̩t] (cot-caught-merger)
  • /ˈɔːtənt/ (Northern-England, Received-Pronunciation, Wales)
  • /ˈɔtənt/ without the cot–caught merger
  • [ˈɔtn̩t] (Scotland)
  • /ˈoːtənt/ (Australia, British, New-Zealand, Southern, Standard)
  • [ˈɔtn̩t] without the cot–caught merger
  • (US) audio cot-caught
  • [ˈoːtn̩t] (Australia, British, New-Zealand, Southern, Standard)
  • /ˈɔtənt/ (Scotland)
  • [ˈɔːtn̩t] (Northern-England, Received-Pronunciation, Wales)

Etymology

From ought + -n't.

Meanings

  1. (Commonwealth, Ireland, UK) (US, Philippines, dated, rare) ought not (negative auxiliary).
    • We ought to wake dad, oughtn't we?

Coordinates

mayn't · couldn't · won't · mightn't · wouldn't · can't · shan't · shouldn't

Relateds

oughten