ache
/eɪk/verb, noun
ache is spelled A-C-H-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, ache means “To suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in, pain, especially continued dull pain; to be distressed” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ache?
| Letters | 4: A-C-H-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.7 times per million words; the 16,455th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ache?
Ache appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ache?
- /eɪk/
As a noun (“Parsley”): /eɪt͡ʃ/.
As a noun (“Rare spelling of aitch”): /ˈeɪt͡ʃ/.
Ache has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ache.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ache1.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with ache
Also written: ake.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with ache?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as ache.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: each, hace.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of ache
- aches present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- aching participle, present
- ached past, participle
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ache mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in, pain, especially continued dull pain; to be distressed.
My feet were aching for days after the marathon.
- 2
rareTo cause someone or something to suffer pain.
noun
- 1
Continued dull pain, as distinguished from sudden twinges, or spasmodic pain.
You may suffer a minor ache in your side.
- 2
Emotional suffering causing discomfort and physical pain.
- 3
obsoleteParsley.
- 4
rareRare spelling of aitch.
noun
- 1
Abbreviation of acetylcholinesterase.
Coordinate term: BuChE
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ache in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | faire mal, avoir mal , douleur |
| German | weh tun, schmerzen , Schmerz |
| Portuguese | doer , dor |
| Spanish | doler, sufrir , dolor |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ache come from?
Inherited from Middle English aken (verb), and ache (noun), from Old English acan (verb) (from Proto-West Germanic *akan, from Proto-Germanic *akaną (“to ache”)) and æċe (noun) (from Proto-West Germanic *aki, from Proto-Germanic *akiz), traditionally explained as from a Proto-Indo-European *h₂égos.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).