Through or thru?
through is a preposition meaning “So as to enter (something), pass within or across, and then leave”; thru is a preposition meaning “Abbreviation of through”. They sound the same (/θɹuː/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) through is about 110 times as common as thru.
What is the difference between through and thru?
| through | thru | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | preposition, adjective, adverb, noun | preposition |
| Meaning | So as to enter (something), pass within or across, and then leave So as to progress within (something) or towards the end or limit of (something) Passing from one side of something to the other | |
| Example | I drove through Lausanne on my way from Geneva to Zurich | none recorded |
| Forms | thorough | none |
| Pronunciation | /θɹuː/ /θɹʉw/ /θɹu/ | /θɹuː/ /θɹu/ |
| In writing | 741 times per million words | 6.8 times per million words |
Sources: through and thru in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of through and thru
through
- 1
So as to enter (something), pass within or across, and then leave
I drove through Lausanne on my way from Geneva to Zurich
- 2
Passing from one side of something to the other
Interstate highways form a nationwide system of through roads
- 3
By way of the interior
The arrow went straight through
- 4
So as to progress within (something) or towards the end or limit of (something)
The virus broke out in the capital city and is now spreading quickly through the country
- 5
USFinished; complete
They were through with laying the subroof by noon
- 6
By way of an opening
I opened the window and climbed through
- 7
From one side of (an opening) to the other
Go straight ahead and through that door
- 8
Along the course of a task etc.; used in expressions of progress towards the end
It's a big job but we're halfway through
thru
- 1
CanadaUSAbbreviation of through
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, through or thru?
through appears 741 times per million words; thru 6.8 times per million words.
through 741 times per million wordsthru 6.8 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search through vs thru?
“through vs thru” is searched about 12,100 times a month on Google and 350 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“thru vs through”, “through or thru”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.