tchvstockWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tch is a intj, tock is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tch” is an intj and “tock” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#45,118
“tch” frequency rank
#39,613
“tock” frequency rank
84731
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tch tock
Definition a representation of the dental click used to show disapproval or disgust; tut, tsk A clicking sound similar to one made by the hands of a clock.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tch and tock apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
tch
4 ch
tock

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tch is anintj and tockanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84731, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tch is recorded at frequency rank #45,118, classified as anintj. tock is at rank #39,613, tagged as anoun, pronounced /tɑk/.

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 84731, this pair ranks #11,547 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tch vs tock

Shared letters: ct. Private to "tch": h. Private to "tock": ko.

"tch" · 3 letters · shape CCC  ·  "tock" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tockotck · tcok · tocck · tockk · tokc · ttock

Frequency comparison

tch#45,118
tock#39,613

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tch" and "tock" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tch" is an intj and "tock" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tch" or "tock"?
"tock" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,613 in our English list, against #45,118 for "tch". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tch vs tock

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an intj, it's “tch”; for a noun, it's “tock”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tch” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list