Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

toughen

/ˈtʌfən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.65 in modern English

Syllables: tough-en
IPA: /ˈtʌfən/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Transitive verb

verb

To become tough.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"The new training program is designed to toughen the athletes."
"A cold shower every morning will toughen your skin."
"Although the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) had toughened its stance on new third rail electrification, gaining approval for short sections of third rail to charge the batteries could be more straightforward."

Etymology

From tough + -en.

Usage

Inflected Forms

toughens (present, singular) toughening (participle, present) toughened (participle, past) toughened (past)

Derived Forms

retoughen toughenable toughener untoughened

Phrases

toughen up

Rhymes With

muffin mcmuffin mcguffin roughen

Questions

How do you pronounce toughen?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtʌfən/.
What does toughen mean?: To make tough.
Where does toughen come from?: From tough + -en.

How to pronounce toughen

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