Which to use
“clutch” and “clutched” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,523
- “clutch” frequency rank
- #39,250
- “clutched” frequency rank
- 47773
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clutch | clutched |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To seize, as though with claws. | simple past and past participle of clutch |
Where the eye mixes clutch and clutched
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. clutch runs 6 letters (CCVCCC) against clutched's 8 (CCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses clutch with clutched
A purely visual mix-up. clutch (/klʌt͡ʃ/) and clutched (/klʌt͡ʃt/) 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) - “clutch” sits inside “clutched”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47773, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clutch is recorded at frequency rank #8,523, classified as averb, pronounced /klʌt͡ʃ/. clutched is at rank #39,250, tagged as averb, pronounced /klʌt͡ʃt/.
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 47773, this pair ranks #199,338 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clutch vs clutched
Shared letters: chltu. Private to "clutch": -. Private to "clutched": de.
"clutch" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC · "clutched" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "clutch" and "clutched" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "clutch" vs "clutched" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "clutch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clutched" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #199,338 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clutch" and "clutched" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clutched vs crunched". 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 #199,338 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.