through
/θɹuː/
"through" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“through” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #139 in English word frequency and used as a preposition.
- #139
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 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.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | through |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Preposition |
| IPA | /θɹuː/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #139 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 9 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “through” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for through is 7 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /θɹuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #139 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1From one side or end of (something) to the other.
- 2From one side or end of (something) to the other.
- 3From one side or end of (something) to the other.
- 4From one side or end of (something) to the other.
- 5From one side or end of (something) to the other.
- 6From one side or end of (something) to the other.
- 7From one side or end of (something) to the other.
- 8Via or by way of.
- 9Via or by way of.
- 10Throughout or across the extent of.
- 11Amidst or surrounded by (while moving).
- 12To (or up to) and including, with all intermediate values; to... inclusive; until the end of.
- 13By means of.
- 14In consequence of; as a result of.
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
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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "through"?
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Using “through”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-H-R-O-U-G-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /θɹuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “tough” - see the side-by-side comparison. through vs tough
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.