Trough Rhymes With Off, Not With Rough
A trough is a long open container, or a low point. Its spelling is one of the worst examples of the English -ough problem.
A trough is a long open container for animal feed or water, and by extension any low point. The pronunciation is a trap: it rhymes with *off*, not with *rough*, *though*, *through*, *bough* or *cough*, all of which are spelled with the same four letters and sound different. The *-ough* group is the most notorious spelling problem English has.
- A feeding container. *A cattle trough.*
- A low point. *A trough in the economy.*
- In weather — an elongated area of low pressure. *A trough of low pressure.*
- In waves — the low part between crests. *Peaks and troughs.*
- Trough of a cycle — the bottom. *At the trough of the cycle.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | trough | A stone trough. |
| Plural | troughs | Two troughs. |
| Opposite | peak | Peaks and troughs. |
| Opposite | crest | Crest and trough. |
| Old English | trog | The source word. |
- The horses drank from a stone trough.Literal.
- Sales reached a trough in February.Economics.
- A trough of low pressure crossed the country.Weather.
The seven sounds of -ough
- Trough — rhymes with off
- Rough and tough — rhyme with puff
- Though and dough — rhyme with go
- Through — rhymes with blue
- Bough and plough — rhyme with cow; cough rhymes with off; thorough ends in a weak vowel
Old English *trog*, a wooden vessel, from a Germanic root related to *tree*. The spelling with -gh reflects a sound that English has since lost.
How do you pronounce trough?
To rhyme with off. In some regional accents an older form rhyming with rough survives, but it is unusual.
Why does -ough have so many pronunciations?
Because spelling was fixed while pronunciation kept changing. The gh once represented a sound English no longer uses.