Which to use
“tough” is an adjective and “Tuch” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,540
- “tough” frequency rank
- #10,190
- “Tuch” frequency rank
- 53730
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tough | Tuch |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | robust, widerstandsfähig | Textilie aus diversen Materialien (Wort wird oft ohne bestimmten Artikel benutzt) |
Where the eye mixes tough and Tuch
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tough with Tuch
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tough is [taf] while Tuch is [tuːx]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53730, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tough is recorded at frequency rank #43,540, classified as anadj, pronounced [taf]. Tuch is at rank #10,190, tagged as anoun, pronounced [tuːx].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 53730, this pair ranks #1,046,569 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tough vs Tuch
Shared letters: htu. Private to "tough": go. Private to "Tuch": c.
"tough" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "Tuch" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tough" and "Tuch" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tough" or "Tuch"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tough" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Tuch" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,046,569 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tough" and "Tuch" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "though vs tough". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,046,569 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.