# thug vs tough

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### thug
*noun · IPA /θʌɡ/ · frequency rank #15,532*
A person who is a member of a gang or criminal organization.

### tough
*adjective · IPA /tʌf/ · frequency rank #1,777*
Strong and resilient; sturdy.

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