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rough

/ɹʌf/adjective · noun · adverb · verb

Rough can refer to the part of a golf course bordering the fairway where the grass is not cut short. As a verb, rough can mean to prepare in preliminary or sketchy form.

18 meanings5 lettersScrabble 9

Length

5

Scrabble

9

WWF

10

Starts

RO

Ends

UGH

Difficulty

Medium

Dictionary

What Does “ROUGH” Mean?

/ɹʌf/

rough has 18 documented senses across adjective, noun, adverb, verb.

Adjective

14 senses
1

having or caused by an irregular surface

trees with rough bark

rough ground

rough skin

rough blankets

Synonyms

2

(of persons or behavior) lacking refinement or finesse

she was a diamond in the rough

rough manners

3

not quite exact or correct

the approximate time was 10 o'clock

a rough guess

a rough estimate

4

full of hardship or trials

the rocky road to success

they were having a rough time

Synonyms

5

violently agitated and turbulent

boisterous winds and waves

{'source': 'Ezra Pound', 'text': 'the fierce thunders roar me their music'}

rough weather

rough seas

6

unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound

a gravelly voice

Show 8 more adjective definitions
7

ready and able to resort to force or violence

{'source': 'Herman Melville', 'text': 'pugnacious spirits … lamented that there was so little prospect of an exhilarating disturbance'}

they were rough and determined fighting men

Synonyms

8

of the margin of a leaf shape; having the edge cut or fringed or scalloped

9

causing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements

a rough ride

10

not shaped by cutting or trimming

an uncut diamond

rough gemstones

Synonyms

11

not carefully or expertly made

managed to make a crude splint

a crude cabin of logs with bark still on them

rough carpentry

Synonyms

12

not perfected

a rough draft

a few rough sketches

13

unpleasantly stern

wild and harsh country full of hot sand and cactus

the nomad life is rough and hazardous

Synonyms

14

unkind or cruel or uncivil

had harsh words

a harsh and unlovable old tyrant

a rough answer

Synonyms

Noun

1 sense
1

the part of a golf course bordering the fairway where the grass is not cut short

Adverb

2 senses
1

with roughness or violence (‘rough’ is an informal variant for ‘roughly’)

he was pushed roughly aside

they treated him rough

Synonyms

2

with rough motion as over a rough surface

ride rough

Synonyms

Verb

1 sense
1

prepare in preliminary or sketchy form

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

5

Vowels

2

Consonants

3

Word Intelligence

Explore the word rough with its definition, score, letter pattern, and useful word game details.

Definition

having or caused by an irregular surface

Length

5 letters

Starts With

R

Ends With

H

Vowels

2

Consonants

3

Letters

R, O, U, G, H

Use Case

Useful for Scrabble, Wordle, crosswords, anagrams, and other word games.

Letter Breakdown

r
o
u
g
h

Word Facts

Key letter, score, and pattern facts for rough.

ROUGH is a 5-letter word.
It has a Scrabble score of 9.
It starts with R and ends with H.
It contains 2 vowels and 3 consonants.
Its vowel share is about 40%.
It is an isogram, meaning no letter repeats.
It is not a palindrome.
Letter pattern: ABCDE.
Vowel/consonant pattern: CVVCC.

Word Strategy

Strategy notes for using rough in Scrabble, Wordle-style games, crosswords, and anagram solving.

Scrabble Strategy

★★★☆☆

ROUGH has a Scrabble score of 9. It is useful for balancing a rack and building steady board position.

Wordle Strategy

★★★★☆

ROUGH is a five-letter word, so it can be considered in Wordle-style solving. It includes common vowel information that can help narrow guesses.

Crossword Strategy

★★★★☆

ROUGH can be useful in crossword solving because it has a clear starting letter, ending letter, and 5-letter structure.

Anagram Strategy

★★★★☆

ROUGH uses unique letters, giving more flexibility when checking possible anagrams and word game combinations.

Letter Intelligence

A deeper look at the letter structure, patterns, and useful game signals inside rough.

Unique Letters

5

Repeated Letters

0

Highest Value Letter

H

Letter Pattern

ABCDE

CV Pattern

CVVCC

Vowel Share

40%

Consonant Share

60%

Bigrams

RO, OU, UG, GH

Trigrams

ROU, OUG, UGH

Crossword Intelligence

Crossword-style clues, crossing help, and pattern notes for rough.

ROUGH is a 5-letter standard crossword entry.
It starts with R and ends with H, which helps narrow crossword crossings.
It contains 2 vowels and 3 consonants.
Its vowel/consonant pattern is CVVCC.
Crossword difficulty estimate: Medium.

Related Words

Word Usage Insights

Practical observations about how this word performs in different word games and puzzle situations.

This word contains 5 letters and is suitable for medium-length word games.
Its consonant/vowel pattern is CVVCC, making it relatively challenging to recognize.
With a Scrabble score of 9, it offers moderate scoring potential.
The word begins with R and ends with H, making it useful for solving pattern-based puzzles.
Every letter appears only once.

Word Intelligence Links

Explore word lists connected to ROUGH by length, score, vowels, consonants, starting letters, ending letters, and word game tools.

Word Family

Explore words that share a similar beginning or root pattern with rough.

Related Word Tools

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