Which to use
“launch” and “launched” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,079
- “launch” frequency rank
- #2,353
- “launched” frequency rank
- 4432
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | launch | launched |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To throw (a projectile such as a lance, dart or ball); to hurl; to propel with force. | simple past and past participle of launch |
Where the eye mixes launch and launched
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between launch and launched
A purely visual mix-up. launch (/lɔːnt͡ʃ/) and launched (/lɔːnt͡ʃt/) 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) - “launch” sits inside “launched”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4432, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
launch is recorded at frequency rank #2,079, classified as averb, pronounced /lɔːnt͡ʃ/. launched is at rank #2,353, tagged as averb, pronounced /lɔːnt͡ʃt/.
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 4432, this pair ranks #518,950 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of launch vs launched
Shared letters: achlnu. Private to "launch": -. Private to "launched": de.
"launch" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCC · "launched" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "launch" and "launched" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "launch" or "launched" 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 "launch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "launched" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #518,950 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "launch" and "launched" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "launched vs launchpad". 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 #518,950 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.