# ratchet

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɹæt͡ʃɪt/ · frequency rank #23,964

## Definitions
1. A pawl, click, or detent for holding or propelling a ratchet wheel, or ratch, etc.
2. A mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel, or ratch and pawl.
3. A ratchet wrench.
4. A procedure or regulation that goes in one direction, usually up.
5. A mechanism for generating a new unique key for each message by moving forward in a sequence.
6. A noisemaker or musical instrument where sound is generated by a board striking against a rotating gear.
7. Ellipsis of full ratchet.

## Etymology
From French rochet (“bobbin, spindle, ratchet”), from Italian rocchetto (“spool, ratchet”).

## Easily confused with
- **rather** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ratchet-vs-rather)
- **Rachel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rachel-vs-ratchet)
- **racket** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/racket-vs-ratchet)
- **rancher** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rancher-vs-ratchet)

## Common misspellings (11)
`artchet`, `racthet`, `ratcchet`, `ratceht`, `ratchett`, `ratchhet`, `ratchte`, `rathcet`, `rattchet`, `rratchet`, `rtachet`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ratchet