Old Scratch
"old-scratch" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Old Scratch” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a proper noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The Devil.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Old Scratch |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Old Scratch” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for Old Scratch is 11 letters long, classified as a proper noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The Devil.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for Old Scratch in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Probably an alteration of scrat, from Middle English scrat, skratt, scratte, ultimately from Old Norse skratti (“a type of demon”). The correct English form is Old Scratch, spelled O-L-D- -S-C-R-A-T-C-H.
Definition
- 1The Devil.
Etymology
Probably an alteration of scrat, from Middle English scrat, skratt, scratte, ultimately from Old Norse skratti (“a type of demon”).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "Old Scratch"?
What does "Old Scratch" mean?
What is the origin of the word "Old Scratch"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Old Scratch”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-L-D- -S-C-R-A-T-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.