rough and ruff are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. rough means “having or caused by an irregular surface”. ruff means “an external body part consisting of feathers or hair about the neck of a bird or other animal”. rough is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈɹʌf/
1.adj.having or caused by an irregular surface
“trees with rough bark”
2.adj.(of persons or behavior) lacking refinement or finesse
“she was a diamond in the rough”
3.adj.not quite exact or correct
“the approximate time was 10 o'clock”
| rough | ruff | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹʌf/ | /ˈɹʌf/ |
| Said | ruhf | ruhf |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 5 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, adverb, noun, verb | noun, verb |
| Senses | 18 | 5 |
| How common | Core | Familiar |
| Synonyms | unsmooth | frill |
Full entry for rough · Full entry for ruff · More comparisons
/ˈɹʌf/
1.n.an external body part consisting of feathers or hair about the neck of a bird or other animal
2.n.a high tight collar
3.n.common Eurasian sandpiper; the male has an erectile neck ruff in breeding season