What does trough mean?
Word: Trough
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Trough means a long, narrow, open container that holds water or food for farm animals.
How do you spell trough?
Syllables: trough
Tricky part: The word ends in an f sound, but there is no f in it: ough makes that sound. Children write it the way it sounds: troff or trof.
Watch out for: troff, trof, trought
Memory tip: Cows come to drink at it, but the f never does: you hear an f at the end, yet no f is written anywhere in the word.
Trough in a sentence
Example 1: The buffaloes drank from a stone trough near the well.
Example 2: Farmer Ramesh filled the trough with fresh fodder.
Example 3: Horses crowded round the water trough at the village fair.
Fun Fact
Weather reports use trough for something quite different: a long stretch of low air pressure that often brings clouds and rain.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which of the following words does not rhyme with trough?
a) through
b) scoff
c) cough
d) off
Show answer
a) through. Through sounds like threw, so it does not match trough.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) buffalo
b) stable
c) feild
d) trough
Show answer
c) feild. Field has i before e: f-i-e-l-d.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
The thirsty cows walked slowly to the water ______.
a) tough
b) trough
c) trophy
d) troop
Show answer
b) trough. A trough holds water for animals; a trophy is a prize.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
ghruto 123456
a) 536412
b) 536421
c) 563412
d) 214635
Show answer
a) 536412. Number 5 gives the t, and the code finishes with g and h at numbers 1 and 2.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A trough is most useful to a farmer who keeps:
a) goats and sheep
b) rose bushes
c) wheat fields
d) mango trees
Show answer
a) goats and sheep
2. Why is a trough long and open?
a) so many animals can eat at once
b) so it can be folded away
c) so it keeps the food frozen
d) so it can float on a pond
Show answer
a) so many animals can eat at once
