Which to use
“ach” and “aches” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,673
- “ach” frequency rank
- #20,025
- “aches” frequency rank
- 50698
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ach | aches |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Any of several species of plants, such as smallage, wild celery, parsley. | plural of ache |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ach and aches apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. ach (/æt͡ʃ/) and aches (/eɪks/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ach” sits inside “aches”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50698, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ach is recorded at frequency rank #30,673, classified as anoun, pronounced /æt͡ʃ/. aches is at rank #20,025, tagged as anoun, pronounced /eɪks/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 50698, this pair ranks #171,957 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ach vs aches
Shared letters: ach. Private to "ach": -. Private to "aches": es.
"ach" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "aches" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aches ← acches · acehs · achess · achhes · achse · ahces · cahes
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ach" and "aches" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ach" or "aches"?
Remembering ach vs aches
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ach” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable