Which to use
“latches” and “leeches” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,583
- “latches” frequency rank
- #34,157
- “leeches” frequency rank
- 80740
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | latches | leeches |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of latch | plural of leech |
Where the eye mixes latches and leeches
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. latches (CVCCCVC) and leeches (CVVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses latches with leeches
A purely visual mix-up. latches (/ˈlætʃɪz/) and leeches (/ˈliːt͡ʃ.ɪz/) 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 80740, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
latches is recorded at frequency rank #46,583, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlætʃɪz/. leeches is at rank #34,157, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈliːt͡ʃ.ɪz/.
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 80740, this pair ranks #19,165 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of latches vs leeches
Shared letters: cehls. Private to "latches": at. Private to "leeches": -.
"latches" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "leeches" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "latches" for "leeches" ever safe?
Which is more common, "latches" or "leeches"?
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 "latches" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "leeches" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #19,165 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "latches" and "leeches" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lances 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 #19,165 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.