Course Vs. Coarse: A Crash Course On The Differences

The words course and coarse are homophones. They’re pronounced exactly the same, but their meanings and usage are very different. 

In this article, we will define course and coarse, explain how they are typically used, and give examples that show how they are used in sentences.

course vs. coarse

The word course is used as a noun and a verb with many different meanings. Some common meanings as a noun include “a route or direction taken,” “a program of instruction” and “a part of a meal served at one time.” As a verb, course most often means “to run, race, or move swiftly.” 

Here are examples of each of these senses:

• The astronomers tracked the comet’s course through the galaxy.    
• I’m taking Spanish courses on the weekends. 
• The evening’s main course is roast duck. 
• Adrenaline coursed through Erica’s veins as she sprinted for the finish line. 

The word coarse is used as an adjective. It’s often used to describe something as having a rough texture or to describe something as being harsh, grating, unrefined, or crude. 

For example:

• The goat’s coarse fur scratched my skin. 
• The horn made a coarse sound that hurt our ears.
• Parents were upset with the coarse language used in the new cartoon. 

To remember the different meanings of course and coarse, note that coarse with an a is used as an adjective while course without an a is not. Course is used as a noun and verb but not as an adjective.

Examples of course and coarse in a sentence

Let’s stay on course by looking at how we typically use course and coarse in sentences. Note that only coarse is used as an adjective. 

• In the course of only three days, we ate every scrap of food in the house. 
• The scratchy towel scraped my face like coarse sandpaper.
• Because of turbulence, the plane altered its course toward Miami. 
• Jeff shouted coarse insults at the moose blocking traffic. 
• Captain Kidd charted a course through the bay while his pirate crew sang coarse sea shanties.