Which to use
“reach” is a verb and “rich” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,233
- “reach” frequency rank
- #1,318
- “rich” frequency rank
- 2551
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | reach | rich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To extend, stretch, or thrust out (for example a limb or object held in the hand). | Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions. |
Where the eye mixes reach and rich
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: reach is /ɹiːt͡ʃ/ while rich is /ɹɪt͡ʃ/. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2551, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
reach is recorded at frequency rank #1,233, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹiːt͡ʃ/. rich is at rank #1,318, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɹɪt͡ʃ/.
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 2551, this pair ranks #524,670 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of reach vs rich
Shared letters: chr. Private to "reach": ae. Private to "rich": i.
"reach" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "rich" · 4 letters · shape CVCC