# cough vs could

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### cough
*verb · IPA /kɒf/ · frequency rank #7,668*
Sometimes followed by up: to force (something) out of the lungs or throat by pushing air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound), and out through the mouth.

### could
*verb · IPA /kəd/ · frequency rank #92*
simple past of can

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cough-vs-could