The word "Coughlan" is a surname that can be pronounced as /ˈkɔːflən/ in IPA phonetic transcription. The spelling of this word can be attributed to the Irish origin of the surname. Irish Gaelic words tend to have silent letters, which can make the spelling and pronunciation difficult for non-native speakers. In the case of "Coughlan," the "gh" is silent but changes the sound of the preceding "ou" to make it pronounced as "aw." Understanding the phonetic transcription can help with accurate spelling and pronunciation of this word.
The surname "Coughlan" is of Irish origin. It is derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Cochláin", which means "descendant of Cochlan". The personal name "Cochlan" itself is believed to have derived from the word "coch", which translates to "red" or "red-haired" in Irish. Therefore, "Coughlan" originally referred to someone with red hair or someone descended from someone with red hair.