Which to use
“attach” and “attract” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,328
- “attach” frequency rank
- #5,099
- “attract” frequency rank
- 15427
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | attach | attract |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To fasten, to join to (literally and figuratively). | To pull toward without touching. |
Where the eye mixes attach and attract
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: attach vs attract
A purely visual mix-up. attach (/əˈtæt͡ʃ/) and attract (/əˈtɹækt/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15427, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
attach is recorded at frequency rank #10,328, classified as averb, pronounced /əˈtæt͡ʃ/. attract is at rank #5,099, tagged as averb, pronounced /əˈtɹækt/.
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 15427, this pair ranks #464,039 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of attach vs attract
Shared letters: act. Private to "attach": h. Private to "attract": r.
"attach" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "attract" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "attach" for "attract" ever safe?
Frequency check: "attach" vs "attract" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "attach" and "attract" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "attach" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "attract" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #464,039 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "attach" and "attract" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "attach vs Attica". 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 #464,039 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.