Which to use
“launch” is a verb and “lurch” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,079
- “launch” frequency rank
- #37,551
- “lurch” frequency rank
- 39630
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | launch | lurch |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To throw (a projectile such as a lance, dart or ball); to hurl; to propel with force. | A sudden or unsteady movement. |
Where the eye mixes launch and lurch
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between launch and lurch
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: launch is /lɔːnt͡ʃ/ while lurch is /lɜːt͡ʃ/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39630, 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/. lurch is at rank #37,551, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɜːt͡ʃ/.
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 39630, this pair ranks #274,919 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of launch vs lurch
Shared letters: chlu. Private to "launch": an. Private to "lurch": r.
"launch" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCC · "lurch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "launch" and "lurch" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "launch" vs "lurch" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "launch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lurch" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #274,919 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "launch" and "lurch" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lucca vs lurch". 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 #274,919 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.