hatch

/hæt͡ʃ/

//hæt͡ʃ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hatch" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hatch” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,343. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,343
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A horizontal door in a floor or ceiling.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hatch · hatch · English

hatch · rank #9,343 · 8 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,343
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hans

Nearest frequency peer: Hans (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “hatch”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “hatch” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hatch vs hate
60% similar
hatch vs hats
60% similar
hatch vs hath
80% similar

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

Key facts for hatch
PropertyValue
Headwordhatch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hæt͡ʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,343
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hatch”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Hans” (#9,342), “Hindi” (#9,344), “hacked” (#9,341). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hatch” is #9,343. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around hatch (IPA /hæt͡ʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,343 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for hatch, with forms such as "ahtch", "hacth", and "hatcch". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "hate", "hats", "hath", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hacche, hache, from Old English hæċ, from Proto-West Germanic *hakkju (compare Dutch hek ‘gate, railing’, Low German Heck ‘pasture gate, farmyard gate’), variant of *haggju ‘hedge’. More at hedge. The correct English form is hatch, spelled H-A-T-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A horizontal door in a floor or ceiling.
  2. 2
    A trapdoor.
  3. 3
    An opening in a wall at window height for the purpose of serving food or other items. A pass through.
  4. 4
    A small door in large mechanical structures and vehicles such as aircraft and spacecraft often provided for access for maintenance.
  5. 5
    An opening through the deck of a ship or submarine
  6. 6
    A gullet.
  7. 7
    A frame or weir in a river, for catching fish.
  8. 8
    A floodgate; a sluice gate.
  9. 9
    A bedstead.
  10. 10
    An opening into, or in search of, a mine.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hatch appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Moving the wardrobe revealed a previously hidden hatch in the ground.
  2. The cook passed the dishes through the serving hatch.

Etymology

From Middle English hacche, hache, from Old English hæċ, from Proto-West Germanic *hakkju (compare Dutch hek ‘gate, railing’, Low German Heck ‘pasture gate, farmyard gate’), variant of *haggju ‘hedge’. More at hedge.

This word in other languages

escotilla(Español)trappe(Français)Luke(Deutsch)escotilha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahtch
  • hacth
  • hatcch
  • hatchh
  • hathc
  • hattch
  • hhatch
  • htach

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hatch - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ahtch2hacth2hatcch1hatchh1hathc2hattch1hhatch1htach2
Edit distance from "hatch"

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 "hatch"?
"hatch" is spelled H-A-T-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /hæt͡ʃ/.
What does "hatch" mean?
As a noun, "hatch" means: A horizontal door in a floor or ceiling.
What words are commonly confused with "hatch"?
"hatch" is commonly confused with "hate", "hats", "hath". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hatch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hatch" is /hæt͡ʃ/. 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 "hatch"?
From Middle English hacche, hache, from Old English hæċ, from Proto-West Germanic *hakkju (compare Dutch hek ‘gate, railing’, Low German Heck ‘pasture gate, farmyard gate’), variant of *haggju ‘hedge’. More at hedge. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hatch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hindi#9,344grams#9,339Libya#9,356drift#9,323

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

endure8 variantslouder8 variantsmaiden8 variantsdecree8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list