Which to use
“scratch” is a verb and “screech” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,547
- “scratch” frequency rank
- #33,837
- “screech” frequency rank
- 39384
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scratch | screech |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc. | A high-pitched strident or piercing sound, such as that between a moving object and any surface. |
Where the eye mixes scratch and screech
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: scratch vs screech
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: scratch is /skɹæt͡ʃ/ while screech is /skɹiːt͡ʃ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39384, 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/. screech is at rank #33,837, tagged as anoun, pronounced /skɹiːt͡ʃ/.
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 39384, this pair ranks #277,220 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scratch vs screech
Shared letters: chrs. Private to "scratch": at. Private to "screech": e.
"scratch" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC · "screech" · 7 letters · shape CCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "scratch" and "screech" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "scratch" or "screech"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "scratch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "screech" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,220 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scratch" and "screech" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scratch vs scratchy". 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 #277,220 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.