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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com
roughly hour
Grammar usage guide and real-world examplesUSAGE SUMMARY
The phrase "roughly hour" is not correct in English and does not convey a clear meaning.
It seems to be an incomplete expression, possibly intended to indicate an approximate duration of time. Example: "The meeting will last roughly an hour."
⚠ May contain grammatical issues
News & Media
Science
Alternative expressions(20)
roughly an hour
approximately one hour
about an hour
around an hour
almost an hour
nearly an hour
give or take an hour
an hour or so
approximately an hour
approximate time
some time
basically time
roughly time
about time
give or take
in that timeframe
more or less
around that time
during that period
in the vicinity of
Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Human-verified examples from authoritative sources
Exact Expressions
1 human-written examples
On cue, during his roughly hour and ten minute address to the audience, the former president repeatedly referenced his own resume when touting Senator Clinton's.
News & Media
Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources
Similar Expressions
59 human-written examples
At each concert in London, by the time the band reached "Rebellion (Lies)," in the middle of its roughly hour-long set, the sound was full, as deliberate as a well-rehearsed string quartet but as loose as a liquoredup marching band.
News & Media
Even after only a few nights deprived of these roughly hour-long plunges into nothingness, body temperature and immune functions become unstable.
Science & Research
The Facebook-owned messaging service experienced a roughly hour-long global outage on Friday, which led to difficulties in accessing the app and sending messages to friends.
News & Media
Over the roughly hour-long session, Gibbs would be pressed on nearly all the aforementioned fronts.
News & Media
The roughly hour-long conversation centered around Franken's recent book, Giant of the Senate.
News & Media
Though the airline will still run the roughly hour-long route, it's swapping out the flight number for AY954 which, incredibly, is actually still kind of metal.
News & Media
In a roughly hour-and-a-half-long meeting with aggrieved lawmakers on Wednesday, Ryan privately acknowledged that Republicans are "not even close to the votes on anything," according to one lawmaker present, Matt Salmon (R-Ariz).
News & Media
Yes, the army-intelligence officer admitted for the first time ever during the roughly hour-long reading that he did, in fact, cause the biggest intelligence leak in the US history.
News & Media
Yes, the army-intelligence officer admitted for the first time ever during the roughly hour-long reading that he did, in fact, cause the biggest intelligence leak in US history.
News & Media
Today that has risen to 2,000 to 2,200 hours, or roughly 42 hours a week.
News & Media
Expert writing Tips
Best practice
When indicating an approximate time frame, use grammatically correct phrases such as "roughly an hour", "about an hour", or "approximately one hour" for clarity and precision.
Common error
Avoid saying "roughly hour." Always include the article "an" before "hour" when you want to indicate a single, approximate unit of time. For example, use "roughly an hour" instead.
Source & Trust
82%
Authority and reliability
2.2/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested
Linguistic Context
The phrase "roughly hour" functions as an adverbial modifier attempting to specify an approximate duration. However, it's grammatically incomplete. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase requires an article ("an") for correctness. The correct form should be "roughly an hour."
Frequent in
News & Media
50%
Science
50%
Formal & Business
0%
Less common in
Wiki
0%
Academia
0%
Encyclopedias
0%
Ludwig's WRAP-UP
The phrase "roughly hour" is grammatically incorrect and is rarely used in English. It is intended to express an approximate duration of time, but it requires the addition of the article "an" to be grammatically correct (i.e., "roughly an hour"). Ludwig AI indicates that the expression, in its incorrect form, should be avoided in formal writing, you should prefer alternatives such as "approximately one hour" or "about an hour" which convey a similar meaning with improved grammatical accuracy. Predominantly found in News & Media and Scientific contexts, its infrequent usage and grammatical issues suggest avoiding it in favor of clearer, more precise alternatives.
More alternative expressions(10)
Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:
approximately one hour
Uses "approximately" instead of "roughly", providing a more formal synonym and includes "one".
about an hour
Replaces "roughly" with "about" and adds the indefinite article "an", creating a more natural expression.
around an hour
Substitutes "roughly" with "around" and includes the indefinite article "an", offering a slightly more casual tone.
in approximately an hour
Adds the preposition "in" to specify a future timeframe, while keeping the approximation.
almost an hour
Uses "almost" to indicate a duration that is close to but not quite a full hour, creating a slightly different nuance.
nearly an hour
Similar to "almost an hour", "nearly an hour" conveys the sense of approaching a full hour.
in the vicinity of an hour
Offers a more formal and precise way of expressing an approximate duration, using "in the vicinity of".
give or take an hour
Emphasizes the uncertainty in the duration by explicitly stating that it could be more or less than an hour.
an hour or so
A colloquial way of expressing a duration of approximately one hour, using "or so" to indicate vagueness.
roughly sixty minutes
Replaces "hour" with its equivalent in minutes, while maintaining the approximation with "roughly".
FAQs
How can I correctly use the phrase to indicate an approximate time?
The proper way to indicate an approximate time is by saying "roughly "roughly an hour"", "about an hour", or "approximately one hour."
What is a more formal way to say "roughly an hour"?
A more formal way to express "roughly an hour" would be "approximately one hour" or "in the vicinity of an hour".
Is it grammatically correct to say 'roughly hour'?
No, it is not grammatically correct. You should include the article "an" before "hour", making it "roughly "roughly an hour"".
What's the difference between saying "roughly an hour" and "exactly one hour"?
"Roughly "roughly an hour"" indicates an approximation, while "exactly one hour" specifies a precise duration.
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Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Source & Trust
82%
Authority and reliability
2.2/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested