inch

/ɪnt͡ʃ/

//ɪnt͡ʃ// noun

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

"inch" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inch” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,067 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,067
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An English unit of length equal to 1/12 of a foot or 2.54 cm, conceived as roughly the width of a thumb.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

inch vs ink
50% similar
inch vs inn
50% similar
inch vs ins
50% similar

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

Key facts for inch
PropertyValue
Headwordinch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnt͡ʃ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,067
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “inch” 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). inch 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 inch is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnt͡ʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,067 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for inch, with forms such as "icnh", "incch", and "inchh". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ink", "inn", "ins", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ynche, enche, from Old English ynċe, borrowed from Latin uncia (“Roman inch, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Cognate with Middle Dutch enke (“thumb, thumb's width, inch”). Doublet of ounce, un… The correct English form is inch, spelled I-N-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An English unit of length equal to 1/12 of a foot or 2.54 cm, conceived as roughly the width of a thumb.
  2. 2
    Any very short distance.
  3. 3
    Any of various similar units of length in other traditional systems of measurement.
  4. 4
    A depth of one inch on the ground, used as a measurement of rainfall.
  5. 5
    A depth of one inch in a glass, used as a rough measurement of alcoholic beverages.

Etymology

From Middle English ynche, enche, from Old English ynċe, borrowed from Latin uncia (“Roman inch, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Cognate with Middle Dutch enke (“thumb, thumb's width, inch”). Doublet of ounce, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah.

This word in other languages

pulgada(Español)pouce(Français)Zoll(Deutsch)polegada(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: icnh,incch,inchh,inhc,innch,nich

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inch - 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.

icnh2incch1inchh1inhc2innch1nich2
Edit distance from "inch"

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 "inch"?
"inch" is spelled I-N-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnt͡ʃ/.
What does "inch" mean?
As a noun, "inch" means: An English unit of length equal to 1/12 of a foot or 2.54 cm, conceived as roughly the width of a thumb.
What words are commonly confused with "inch"?
"inch" is commonly confused with "ink", "inn", "ins". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inch" is /ɪnt͡ʃ/. 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 "inch"?
From Middle English ynche, enche, from Old English ynċe, borrowed from Latin uncia (“Roman inch, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Cognate with Middle Dutch enke (“thumb, thumb's width, inch”). Doublet of... 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 “inch”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnt͡ʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ink” - see the side-by-side comparison. inch vs ink
  • 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