Which to use
“latch” and “lynch” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,605
- “latch” frequency rank
- #7,812
- “lynch” frequency rank
- 26417
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | latch | lynch |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To close or lock as if with a latch. | To execute (somebody) without a proper legal trial or procedure, especially by hanging and backed by a mob. |
Where the eye mixes latch and lynch
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses latch with lynch
A purely visual mix-up. latch (/læt͡ʃ/) and lynch (/lɪnt͡ʃ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26417, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
latch is recorded at frequency rank #18,605, classified as averb, pronounced /læt͡ʃ/. lynch is at rank #7,812, tagged as averb, pronounced /lɪnt͡ʃ/.
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 26417, this pair ranks #386,857 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of latch vs lynch
Shared letters: chl. Private to "latch": at. Private to "lynch": ny.
"latch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "lynch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "latch" and "lynch" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "latch" vs "lynch" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "latch" and "lynch" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "latch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lynch" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #386,857 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "latch" and "lynch" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "latch vs latches". 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 #386,857 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.