Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rough around the edges

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.94 in modern English

Syllables: rough around the edges
IPA

29

Scrabble Score

19

Letters

1

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

In need of refinement; unsophisticated.

Example Sentences

"While rough around the edges, the church is really a wonderful place to be."
"The north side of town is a less expensive, rougher round the edges choice for a young family."
"His writing is appealing, but a bit rough around the edges."
"Caine was pretty rough around the edges, though. I wasn't quite on Scratch's level of thinking outside the box, but it was good groundwork for something the rest of the team could wrap their heads around."

Inflected Forms

rougher around the edges (comparative) roughest around the edges (superlative) rough round the edges (alternative) rough-around-the-edges (alternative)

Phrases

rough edges rough and ready

Frequently Paired Words

rough edges rough and ready

Questions

What does rough around the edges mean?: In need of refinement; unsophisticated.

How to pronounce rough around the edges

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “rough around the edges”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “rough around the edges”.
Repeat and practice — Say “rough around the edges” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.