Which to use
“scratch” is a verb and “scratchy” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,547
- “scratch” frequency rank
- #37,677
- “scratchy” frequency rank
- 43224
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scratch | scratchy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc. | Characterized by scratches. |
Where the eye mixes scratch and scratchy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between scratch and scratchy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: scratch is /skɹæt͡ʃ/ while scratchy is /ˈskɹæt͡ʃi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “scratch” sits inside “scratchy”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43224, 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/. scratchy is at rank #37,677, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈskɹæt͡ʃi/.
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 43224, this pair ranks #242,039 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scratch vs scratchy
Shared letters: achrst. Private to "scratch": -. Private to "scratchy": y.
"scratch" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC · "scratchy" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "scratch" and "scratchy" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "scratch" or "scratchy" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "scratch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scratchy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #242,039 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scratch" and "scratchy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scratchy vs stretchy". 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 #242,039 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.