latch

/læt͡ʃ/

//læt͡ʃ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“latch” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,605. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,605
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To close or lock as if with a latch.

Corpus desk

Index EN-latch · latch · English

latch · rank #18,605 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,605
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Laos

Nearest frequency peer: Laos (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “latch”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “latch” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

latch vs late
60% similar
latch vs loch
60% similar
latch vs later
60% similar

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

Key facts for latch
PropertyValue
Headwordlatch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/læt͡ʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#18,605
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “latch” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).latchlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Laos” (#18,604), “libel” (#18,606), “ligament” (#18,607). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around latch (IPA /læt͡ʃ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #18,605 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for latch, with forms such as "altch", "lacth", and "latcch". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "late", "loch", "later", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lacchen (“to seize, catch, grasp”, verb), from Old English læċċan (“to grasp, take hold of, catch, seize”), from Proto-Germanic *lakjaną, *lakwijaną, *lakkijaną (“to seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leh₂g-, *(s)leh₂gʷ- (“to take, se… The correct English form is latch, spelled L-A-T-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To close or lock as if with a latch.
  2. 2
    To catch; lay hold of.
  3. 3
    To use a latch (kind of lightweight lock).
  4. 4
    To connect to the breast.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Where hearing should not latch them.

Etymology

From Middle English lacchen (“to seize, catch, grasp”, verb), from Old English læċċan (“to grasp, take hold of, catch, seize”), from Proto-Germanic *lakjaną, *lakwijaną, *lakkijaną (“to seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leh₂g-, *(s)leh₂gʷ- (“to take, seize”). Cognate with Middle Dutch lakken (“to grasp, catch”).

This word in other languages

acerrojar(Español)verriegeln(Deutsch)trincar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • altch
  • lacth
  • latcch
  • latchh
  • lathc
  • lattch
  • llatch
  • ltach

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

altch2lacth2latcch1latchh1lathc2lattch1llatch1ltach2
Edit distance from "latch"

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 "latch"?
"latch" is spelled L-A-T-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /læt͡ʃ/.
What does "latch" mean?
As a verb, "latch" means: To close or lock as if with a latch.
What words are commonly confused with "latch"?
"latch" is commonly confused with "late", "loch", "later". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "latch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "latch" is /læt͡ʃ/. 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 "latch"?
From Middle English lacchen (“to seize, catch, grasp”, verb), from Old English læċċan (“to grasp, take hold of, catch, seize”), from Proto-Germanic *lakjaną, *lakwijaną, *lakkijaną (“to seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leh₂g-, *(s)leh₂gʷ- (“t... 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 "latch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

libel#18,606junta#18,602itchy#18,599lofty#18,611

Similar misspelling depth

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

malice8 variantspeeled8 variantsfiesta8 variantserratic8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "latch". Here's where to go from here.

  • "latch" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "late". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #18,605 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "L" letter cohort. L–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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