toughen
/ˈtʌfən/verb
toughen is spelled T-O-U-G-H-E-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, toughen means “To make tough” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in toughen?
| Letters | 7: T-O-U-G-H-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is toughen?
Toughen appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce toughen?
- /ˈtʌfən/
Toughen has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-toughen.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of toughen
- toughens present, singular, he/she/it
- toughening participle, present
- toughened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does toughen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make tough.
The new training program is designed to toughen the athletes.
- 2
To become tough.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Toughen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to become tougher:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | versteifen |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does toughen come from?
From tough + -en.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).