through

/θɹuː/

//θɹuː// prep

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"through" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“through” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #139. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#139
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - From one side or end of (something) to the other.

Corpus desk

Index EN-through · through · English

through · rank #139 · 11 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #139
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 27,828
  • PHOTO-FINISH great

Nearest frequency peer: great (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “through”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “through” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

through vs tough
71% similar
through vs trough
86% similar
through vs thrush
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for through
PropertyValue
Headwordthrough
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/θɹuː/
Letters7
Frequency rank#139
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “through” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). through lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around through (IPA /θɹuː/), apreposition. Corpus frequency is #139 among 27,828 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for through, with forms such as "htrough", "thhrough", and "thorugh". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "tough", "trough", "thrush", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thrugh, thruch, thruh, metathetic variants of thurgh, thurh, from Old English þurh, from Proto-Germanic *þurhw (“through”), from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂kʷe, suffixed zero-grade from *terh₂- (“to pass through”) + *-kʷe (“and”). Cognate… The correct English form is through, spelled T-H-R-O-U-G-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    From one side or end of (something) to the other.
  2. 2
    From one side or end of (something) to the other.
  3. 3
    From one side or end of (something) to the other.
  4. 4
    From one side or end of (something) to the other.
  5. 5
    From one side or end of (something) to the other.
  6. 6
    From one side or end of (something) to the other.
  7. 7
    From one side or end of (something) to the other.
  8. 8
    Via or by way of.
  9. 9
    Via or by way of.
  10. 10
    Throughout or across the extent of.
  11. 11
    Amidst or surrounded by (while moving).
  12. 12
    To (or up to) and including, with all intermediate values; to... inclusive; until the end of.
  13. 13
    By means of.
  14. 14
    In consequence of; as a result of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how through appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I drove through Lausanne on my way from Geneva to Zurich.
  2. The bullet went right through his leg.

Etymology

From Middle English thrugh, thruch, thruh, metathetic variants of thurgh, thurh, from Old English þurh, from Proto-Germanic *þurhw (“through”), from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂kʷe, suffixed zero-grade from *terh₂- (“to pass through”) + *-kʷe (“and”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian döör (“through”), Saterland Frisian truch (“through”), West Frisian troch (“through”), Dutch door (“through”), German durch (“through”), Luxembourgish duerch (“through”), West Flemish deur (“through”), Yiddish דורך (durkh, “through”), Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌷 (þairh, “through”), Latin trans (“across, over, through”), Albanian tërthor (“through, around”), Welsh tra (“through”). See also thorough.

This word in other languages

a través de(Español)par(Français)durch(Deutsch)pelo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htrough
  • thhrough
  • thorugh
  • throguh
  • througgh
  • throughh
  • throuhg
  • thrrough
  • thruogh
  • trhough
  • tthrough

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of through - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

htrough2thhrough1thorugh2throguh2througgh1throughh1throuhg2thrrough1
Edit distance from "through"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "through"?
"through" is spelled T-H-R-O-U-G-H. The IPA pronunciation is /θɹuː/.
What does "through" mean?
As a preposition, "through" means: From one side or end of (something) to the other.
What words are commonly confused with "through"?
"through" is commonly confused with "tough", "trough", "thrush". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "through"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "through" is /θɹuː/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "through"?
From Middle English thrugh, thruch, thruh, metathetic variants of thurgh, thurh, from Old English þurh, from Proto-Germanic *þurhw (“through”), from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂kʷe, suffixed zero-grade from *terh₂- (“to pass through”) + *-kʷe (“and”... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "through", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

between#166another#176because#97without#193

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

company11 variantsthought11 variantsnothing11 variantsnational11 variants
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list