# Do through and thorough give you spelling problems? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 28, 2016, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329 "2016-11-28T22:33:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/1 "2016-11-28T22:33:40Z")
Through is easy. I passed through the cafeteria on my way to class. I find that other word for exhaustive or complete very difficult. I often just avoid the darn word. Jack completely cleaned his house. Jack throughly cleaned his house. . No! that’s wrong. Jack thoroughly cleaned his house. I just despise that word. Does it give you fits too? I hear it mispronounced thru-o when it’s more like ther-o. Why is English so sadistic? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/2 "2016-11-28T23:07:36Z")
I have no problems with\* thoroughly\*. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/3 "2016-11-29T02:03:54Z")
No problems at all. They’re pronounced differently, so spelt differently. What’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/4 "2016-11-29T02:55:01Z")
I guess it’s just me then. I don’t use thorough in a written sentence, enough to remember it’s spelled different from through. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/5 "2016-11-29T03:52:11Z")
It’s confusing for some. You can succeed through thorough tough thought, though. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/6 "2016-11-29T13:03:53Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I guess it’s just me then. > > I don’t use thorough in a written sentence, enough to remember it’s spelled different from through. You’re gonna throw the baby out with the bathwater? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/7 "2016-11-29T14:13:37Z")
No. Never. I’ve never seen anyone have that problem, either, unless it’s a typo. I have gotten other words mixed up sometimes, though now I can’t bring any to mind, and also though I am a good speller I still make a few consistent mistakes (“sherrif”). For that reason I am largely forgiving about most spelling errors I see. Except for “loose” and “lose”. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/8 "2016-11-29T14:14:17Z")
No. The one with the extra syllable has he extra vowel. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/9 "2016-11-29T18:54:21Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Through is easy. > > I passed through the cafeteria on my way to class. > > I find that other word for exhaustive or complete very difficult. > > I often just avoid the darn word. > Jack completely cleaned his house. > > Jack throughly cleaned his house. > . > No! that’s wrong. > > Jack thoroughly cleaned his house. > > I just despise that word. Does it give you fits too? > > I hear it mispronounced thru-o when it’s more like ther-o. > > Why is English so sadistic? I don’t have a problem differentiating the spelling, _per se_. It’s the typing that gives me trouble, because my damn fingers will go on neurological auto-complete and type the word I use more often (“through”) rather than the word my higher cognitive functions are thinking (“thorough”). I usually catch it immediately and berate my treacherous hands while correcting it, but it’s still a bit of backspacing and very careful letter-by-letter spelling to get it right. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/10 "2016-11-29T22:49:49Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > No. Never. I’ve never seen anyone have that problem, either, unless it’s a typo. Yes, because everyone has switched to thru! ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/11 "2016-11-29T23:00:50Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Yes, because everyone has switched to thru! and then it becomes “Threw” ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/12 "2016-11-30T04:40:01Z")
No problems with thorough but my fingers are convinced that Michigan has a major metropolitan district named “Detriot” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/13 "2016-11-30T13:30:04Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > No problems with thorough but my fingers are convinced that Michigan has a major metropolitan district named “Detriot” I used to work in Washingotn, DC. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-through-and-thorough-give-you-spelling-problems/773329/14 "2016-11-30T16:05:52Z")
I know automatically the difference between them but I have to take a bit of care when typing “thorough”. My fingers want to type “through”, probably because I use it more. Also, I swear that every time–without fail–I type “withing” for “within”. Muscle memory can be a little scamp sometimes.