Which to use
“scathing” and “scratching” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,215
- “scathing” frequency rank
- #13,807
- “scratching” frequency rank
- 44022
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scathing | scratching |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of scathe | present participle and gerund of scratch |
Where the eye mixes scathing and scratching
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between scathing and scratching
A purely visual mix-up. scathing (/ˈskeɪðɪŋ/) and scratching (/ˈskɹæt͡ʃɪŋ/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44022, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scathing is recorded at frequency rank #30,215, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈskeɪðɪŋ/. scratching is at rank #13,807, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈskɹæt͡ʃɪŋ/.
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 44022, this pair ranks #234,434 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scathing vs scratching
Shared letters: acghinst. Private to "scathing": -. Private to "scratching": r.
"scathing" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC · "scratching" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- scathing ← csathing · sacthing · scahting · scathhing · scathign · scathingg · scathinng · scathnig
- scratching ← csratching · scartching · sccratching · scracthing · scratcching · scratchhing · scratchign · scratchingg
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "scathing" and "scratching" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "scathing" or "scratching"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "scathing" and "scratching" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "scathing" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scratching" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #234,434 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scathing" and "scratching" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scalping vs scathing". 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 #234,434 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.