tough

/tʌf/

//tʌf// adj

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

"tough" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tough” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,777 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,777
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Strong and resilient; sturdy.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tough vs tug
60% similar
tough vs tour
60% similar
tough vs tout
60% similar

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

Key facts for tough
PropertyValue
Headwordtough
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/tʌf/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,777
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tough” 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). tough lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for tough is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tʌf/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,777 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for tough, with forms such as "otugh", "toguh", and "touggh". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tug", "tour", "tout", 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 tough, towgh, tou, toȝ, from Old English tōh (“tough, tenacious, holding fast together; pliant; sticky, glutinous, clammy”), from Proto-West Germanic *tą̄h(ī), from Proto-Germanic *tanhuz (“fitting; clinging; tenacious; tough”), from Pro… The correct English form is tough, spelled T-O-U-G-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Strong and resilient; sturdy.
  2. 2
    Difficult to cut or chew.
  3. 3
    Rugged or physically hardy.
  4. 4
    Stubborn or persistent; capable of stubbornness or persistence.
  5. 5
    Harsh or severe.
  6. 6
    Rowdy or rough.
  7. 7
    Difficult or demanding.
  8. 8
    Undergoing plastic deformation before breaking.
  9. 9
    Strict, not lenient.

Etymology

From Middle English tough, towgh, tou, toȝ, from Old English tōh (“tough, tenacious, holding fast together; pliant; sticky, glutinous, clammy”), from Proto-West Germanic *tą̄h(ī), from Proto-Germanic *tanhuz (“fitting; clinging; tenacious; tough”), from Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (“to bite”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian toai, Low German tei, tah, tage, Dutch taai, Luxembourgish zéi, German zäh(e), Bavarian zaach, all principally “chewy, leathery, sticky”, and hence “tenacious, resilient, dogged”.

This word in other languages

resistente(Español)dur(Français)zäh(Deutsch)duro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: otugh,toguh,touggh,toughh,touhg,ttough,tuogh

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tough - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

otugh2toguh2touggh1toughh1touhg2ttough1tuogh2
Edit distance from "tough"

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 "tough"?
"tough" is spelled T-O-U-G-H. The IPA pronunciation is /tʌf/.
What does "tough" mean?
As an adjective, "tough" means: Strong and resilient; sturdy.
What words are commonly confused with "tough"?
"tough" is commonly confused with "tug", "tour", "tout". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tough"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tough" is /tʌf/. 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 "tough"?
From Middle English tough, towgh, tou, toȝ, from Old English tōh (“tough, tenacious, holding fast together; pliant; sticky, glutinous, clammy”), from Proto-West Germanic *tą̄h(ī), from Proto-Germanic *tanhuz (“fitting; clinging; tenacious; tough”)... 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.

Using “tough”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-O-U-G-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tʌf/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “tug” - see the side-by-side comparison. tough vs tug
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list