ApachevsattachéWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: Apache is a name, attaché is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Apache” is a name and “attaché” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#14,065
“Apache” frequency rank
#38,292
“attaché” frequency rank
52357
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Apache attaché
Definition 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. A diplomatic officer, usually one who plays a specific role.

Where the eye mixes Apache and attaché

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Apache
7 ch
attaché

Look-alike desk: Apache vs attaché

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Apache is /əˈpæ.t͡ʃi/ while attaché is /əˈtæʃeɪ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52357, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Apache is recorded at frequency rank #14,065, classified as aname, pronounced /əˈpæ.t͡ʃi/. attaché is at rank #38,292, tagged as anoun, pronounced /əˈtæʃeɪ/.

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 52357, this pair ranks #157,745 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Apache vs attaché

Shared letters: ach. Private to "Apache": ep. Private to "attaché": .

"Apache" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV  ·  "attaché" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Apacheaapche · apacche · apaceh · apachhe · apahce · apcahe · appache · paache

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Apache" and "attaché" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Apache" is a name and "attaché" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Apache" or "attaché"?
"Apache" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,065 in our English list, against #38,292 for "attaché". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Apache" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "attaché" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #157,745 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Apache" and "attaché" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "attaché vs attaches". 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 #157,745 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list