# hough

> English word · Noun · IPA /hɒk/ · frequency rank #29,686

## Definitions
1. Alternative form of hock (“the hollow behind the knee”).
2. Alternative form of hock (“tarsal joint of a digitigrade quadruped”).

## Etymology
From Middle English hough, houȝ, hoch, howghe, from Old English hōh (“heel, hough”), from Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel”). Doublet of hoo.
The regular modern English development would be /hʌf/, /haʊ/; this has been replaced by /hɒk/, originating in the compound huxen (also *hoxen), from Old English hōhsinu.

## Easily confused with
- **huh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-huh)
- **hug** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-hug)
- **hour** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-hour)
- **huge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-huge)
- **Hugh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-hugh)
- **Hugo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-hugo)
- **hugs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-hugs)
- **hush** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-hush)
- **house** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-house)
- **hours** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-hours)
- **hound** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-hound)
- **Houthi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hough-vs-houthi)
- **hog** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hog-vs-hough)
- **Hou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hou-vs-hough)
- **hoh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoh-vs-hough)
- **high** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/high-vs-hough)
- **hong** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hong-vs-hough)
- **hogg** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hogg-vs-hough)
- **Hodge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hodge-vs-hough)
- **hooch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hooch-vs-hough)

## Common misspellings (7)
`hhough`, `hoguh`, `houggh`, `houghh`, `houhg`, `huogh`, `ohugh`

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