Which to use
“scratch” is a verb and “scratches” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,547
- “scratch” frequency rank
- #16,121
- “scratches” frequency rank
- 21668
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scratch | scratches |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc. | plural of scratch |
Letter map: scratch vs scratches
Shared letters muted; letters that set scratch and scratches apart highlighted. Shared run: 7. scratch runs 7 letters (CCCVCCC) against scratches's 9 (CCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Role in the sentence - scratch and scratches
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: scratch is averb and scratchesanoun. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “scratch” sits inside “scratches”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21668, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scratch is recorded at frequency rank #5,547, classified as averb, pronounced /skɹæt͡ʃ/. scratches is at rank #16,121, tagged as anoun.
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 21668, this pair ranks #422,244 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of scratch vs scratches
Shared letters: achrst. Private to "scratch": -. Private to "scratches": e.
"scratch" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC · "scratches" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "scratch" and "scratches" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "scratch" or "scratches" show up more?
Useful next steps
You've compared "scratch" and "scratches". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "scratch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scratches" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #422,244 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scratch" and "scratches" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scratches vs swatches". 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 #422,244 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.