Troughs is the plural of trough, referring to long, narrow, typically concave depressions or containers that hold liquids or feed, or to the lowest points in waves, markets, or figures. In everyday use it denotes multiple low points or channels, and in anatomy or engineering can indicate trough-like structures. The word is often encountered in agricultural, nautical, or statistical contexts.
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- Focus on the /aʊ/ diphthong: some speakers clip it to /a/ or flatten it to /ɔ/, which yields /trɔfs/ instead of /traʊfs/. To fix: practice a controlled glide from /a/ to /ʊ/ while keeping the jaw relatively closed and tongue high-mid for the /aʊ/ sequence. - End with /fs/: many learners soften /s/ or vocalize after /f/. Drill the final fricative pair: say /f/ with a following, quick /s/ to maintain voiceless frication. - /tr/ onset: some attempt /tr/ as a single sound; instead, target a quick touch between the tip of the tongue and alveolar ridge for /t/, then immediately roll into /r/. Use teller-like training to avoid inserting a vowel between /t/ and /r/.
- US: emphasize the rhotic /r/ in the following syllable, but note that /tr/ begins with a tight, forward tongue position and a slightly tensened tip. - UK: shorter vowel in /aɪ/ or /ɒ/ depending on speaker; avoid over-rhoticization; ensure non-rhotic follow-up with a crisp /fs/ sequence. - AU: often a broader /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ with a lighter /r/; maintain the diphthong integrity and crisp /f/ /s/ ending. IPA references help calibrate the vowel shift and the rhotic involvement; aim for clear transitions from /t/ to /r/ to /aɊ/.
"The animals drank from the troughs beside the barn."
"The waves formed several troughs as the storm passed."
"Graphically, the data showed steep peaks and deep troughs."
"The villagers filled the troughs with rainwater for the dry season."
Troughs comes from the noun trough, from Old English trog(e) (a ‘hole’ or ‘channel’ in the ground) related to the verb troughian ‘to hollow out’, with Proto-Germanic roots. The modern sense of a long, narrow container or a long depression in the ground developed in Middle English, influenced by nautical usages (the cargo track of hulls) and the trough of a sine wave, as a counterpart to crests, peaks, and highs. The plural adds -s as standard in English. First known uses in English date back to the late medieval period, with references to animal feeding troughs and water troughs becoming common in farming literature by the 15th century. Over time, the term broadened to describe any long depressions or channels, including statistical troughs and architectural troughs, while retaining the core image of a shallow, elongated concavity. Modern usage frequently combines literal physical troughs with metaphorical troughs (low points in data, markets, or fortunes).
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "troughs" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "troughs" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "troughs" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "troughs"
-ghs sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Pronounce as /traʊfs/ in US English, with a clear /t/ onset, a diphthong /aʊ/ in the second sound, and a voiceless /f/ followed by /s/. Stress is on the single syllable. Tip: start with ‘true’ then move to /ɒ/ or /aʊ/ depending on your dialect, ending with a crisp /fs/. See audio guidance from major dictionaries for precise timing.
Common errors: mispronouncing the /aʊ/ as a simple /a/ or /ɑː/, leading to /trofs/; consonant ending pronounced as /f/ or /v/; or inserting an unnecessary vowel between /t/ and /r/ (e.g., /tɹɔːfs/). Correct by practicing the clean /t/ + /r/ onset, glide /aʊ/ with a smooth transition to /f/, and finishing with a crisp /s/. Practice with minimal pairs like 'troughs' vs 'trobes' to solidify the ending.
US English uses /traʊfs/, a rhotic r influence minimal; UK English often aligns to /trɒfs/ or /trɒːfs/, with a more open short vowel and less pronounced rhoticity; Australian tends toward /tɹɒːfs/ or /trɒfs/, with a broader vowel and less tense /ɹ/ for some speakers. Expect vowel length and rhoticity to shift the syllable subtly. Always compare with a few native samples in each region.
It's a consonant cluster ending in /‑f s/ after a diphthong, which can blur the /fs/ sequence for non-native speakers. The /aʊ/ diphthong requires precise jaw and tongue movement, blending the /a/ and /ʊ/ components quickly before the voiceless fricative /f/ followed by /s/. Cohesion of /t/ + /r/ onset also demands a controlled tongue root position to avoid a mis-timed /tr/ blend.
What’s the best way to ensure you don’t insert an extra vowel between /t/ and /r/ in 'troughs'? Maintain a tight 2-on-1 transition: keep the tip of the tongue near the alveolar ridge for /t/ and quickly pull into the /r/ position without vocalizing an intervening vowel. Then smoothly glide into /aʊ/ before the /f/ and /s/. Practicing with a rapid, muted-led sequence helps stabilize the /tr/ onset and the diphthong.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "troughs"!
- Shadowing: listen to 5-6 native speakers per accent recited in context (e.g., ‘troughs of the river’, ‘troughs for livestock’) and repeat after 1-2 seconds. - Minimal pairs: /trɔːfs/ vs /trɔːfs/ (US vs UK) or /traɪ/ vs /trɔː/ to feel the diphthong boundary. - Rhythm: practice 4-5 sentence phrases focusing on lexical stress placement: content words around /trʌfs/; emphasize the troke /traʊ/ and keep a steady pace. - Stress and intonation: mark sentence stress; use falling intonation after the end of a noun phrase. - Recording: record the number of times you pronounce the /tr/ onset; compare your audio with a reference. - Context sentences: create two sentences referencing troughs in real life (farms, water troughs, troughs of waves) and recite them slowly, then at natural speed.
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