Learners' Questions
Intermediate level
'Tough', 'rough' or 'stiff'?
Episode 200114 / 14 Jan 2020

- The past continuous or past perfect continuous tense?
- Advice or advise?
- 'Other', 'another' or 'the other'?
This week's question
How do we use 'tough', 'rough' and 'stiff'? - Eugele
Answer this
How do rough, tough and stiff all mean the same thing?
Language points
Tough - durable
Tough is an adjective. Its noun is toughness. It means 'durable' or 'difficult to damage.
- Don't worry about dropping the cup. It's very tough.
Tough - difficult
Tough can mean 'difficult' or 'challenging'. We can talk about things like: tough questions, tough circumstances or a tough read (a book that is complicated to understand, for example)
- I remember my maths exam being very tough.
Tough - food
Tough can also refer to food. Tough food is difficult to eat or chew - like an overcooked steak.
- Waiter! This steak is too tough. Please bring me another.
Rough - not smooth
Rough is an adjective. Its noun is roughness. It means 'not smooth'. We often talk about: rough cloth, rough skin or a rough surface.
- Have you ever been licked by a cat? Their tongues are very rough!
Rough - not exact
Rough can mean 'not exact' or 'not detailed'. This is usually in relation to the quality of an explanation or idea. We might talk about a rough copy of something, a rough drawing or a rough estimate.
- I'll be there in 20 minutes, but it's just a rough estimate.
Rough - difficult
Rough can mean 'difficult' or 'challenging'. We can talk about: rough circumstances, or having a rough time.
- John's having a rought time at the moment. He just lost his job.
Stiff - not flexible
Stiff is an adjective. Its noun is 'stiffness'. It means 'not flexible' or 'not easily moved'. We can talk about: stiff card, a stiff collar (on a shirt) or stiff jeans. Our muscles can also be stiff. These are muscles that are sore or do not want to move smoothly or easily.
- Have you ever noticed how stiff our jeans are when we take them out of the wash?
- I slept badly last night and now I have a stiff neck!
Stiff - difficult
Stiff can mean 'difficult' or 'severe'. We can talk about: stiff punishment or stiff competition
- There was a lof of stiff competition at the job interview.
The answer
They can all mean 'challenging' or 'difficult', though we use them in slightly different ways!
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