Which to use
“laugh” is a noun and “launch” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,214
- “laugh” frequency rank
- #2,079
- “launch” frequency rank
- 4293
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | laugh | launch |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter. | To throw (a projectile such as a lance, dart or ball); to hurl; to propel with force. |
Where the eye mixes laugh and launch
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between laugh and launch
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: laugh is /lɐːf/ while launch is /lɔːnt͡ʃ/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4293, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
laugh is recorded at frequency rank #2,214, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɐːf/. launch is at rank #2,079, tagged as averb, pronounced /lɔːnt͡ʃ/.
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 4293, this pair ranks #519,401 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of laugh vs launch
Shared letters: ahlu. Private to "laugh": g. Private to "launch": cn.
"laugh" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "launch" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "laugh" for "launch" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "laugh" or "launch" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "laugh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "launch" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #519,401 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "laugh" and "launch" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "laugh vs Lugo". 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 #519,401 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.