attaché

/əˈtæʃeɪ/

//əˈtæʃeɪ// noun

"attache" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“attaché” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #38,292 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#38,292
frequency rank, English
7
letters
8
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A diplomatic officer, usually one who plays a specific role.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

attaché vs attack
71% similar
attaché vs attacks
71% similar
attaché vs attached
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for attaché
PropertyValue
Headwordattaché
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈtæʃeɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#38,292
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “attaché” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). attaché lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for attaché is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈtæʃeɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #38,292 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A diplomatic officer, usually one who plays a specific role.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for attaché, with forms such as "ataché", "atatché", and "attacché". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "attack", "attacks", "attached", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from French attaché (literally “attached”). The correct English form is attaché, spelled A-T-T-A-C-H-É.

Definition

  1. 1
    A diplomatic officer, usually one who plays a specific role.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French attaché (literally “attached”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ataché,atatché,attacché,attachhé,attacéh,attahcé,attcahé,tataché

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of attaché - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ataché1atatché2attacché1attachhé1attacéh2attahcé2attcahé2tataché2
Edit distance from "attaché"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "attaché"?
"attaché" is spelled A-T-T-A-C-H-É. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈtæʃeɪ/.
What does "attaché" mean?
As a noun, "attaché" means: A diplomatic officer, usually one who plays a specific role.
What words are commonly confused with "attaché"?
"attaché" is commonly confused with "attack", "attacks", "attached". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "attaché"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "attaché" is /əˈtæʃeɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "attaché"?
Unadapted borrowing from French attaché (literally “attached”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “attaché”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-T-T-A-C-H-É - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈtæʃeɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “attack” - see the side-by-side comparison. attaché vs attack
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list