Which to use
“ache” is a verb and “Apache” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,397
- “ache” frequency rank
- #14,065
- “Apache” frequency rank
- 30462
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ache | Apache |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in, pain, especially continued dull pain; to be distressed. | The group of languages used by any of several Athabascan-speaking peoples of the American southwest excluding Navajo, i.e. Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Plains Apache, or Western Apache. |
Where the eye mixes ache and Apache
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between ache and Apache
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ache is /ˈeɪk/ while Apache is /əˈpæ.t͡ʃi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ache” sits inside “Apache”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30462, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ache is recorded at frequency rank #16,397, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈeɪk/. Apache is at rank #14,065, tagged as aname, pronounced /əˈpæ.t͡ʃi/.
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 30462, this pair ranks #354,353 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ache vs Apache
Shared letters: aceh. Private to "ache": -. Private to "Apache": p.
"ache" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "Apache" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ache" for "Apache" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "ache" or "Apache" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ache" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Apache" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #354,353 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ache" and "Apache" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ache vs ashy". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #354,353 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.