retch
/ɹɛt͡ʃ/
"retch" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“retch” is uncommon English (frequency #90,901 among 21,470 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #90,901
- frequency rank, English
- 21,470
- “R” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make or experience an unsuccessful effort to vomit; to strain or spasm, as if to vomit; to gag or nearly vomit.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | retch |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɹɛt͡ʃ/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #90,901 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “retch” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
retch is uncommon English at frequency #90,901 among 21,470 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɹɛt͡ʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for retch, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *recchen, *rechen (attested in arechen), hræcen (“to cough up”), from Old English hrǣċan (“to clear the throat, hawk, spit”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrākijan, from Proto-Germanic *hrēkijaną (“to clear one's throat”), from Proto-Indo-E… The correct English form is retch, spelled R-E-T-C-H.
Definition
- 1To make or experience an unsuccessful effort to vomit; to strain or spasm, as if to vomit; to gag or nearly vomit.
- 2To vomit; to make or experience a successful effort to vomit.
Etymology
From Middle English *recchen, *rechen (attested in arechen), hræcen (“to cough up”), from Old English hrǣċan (“to clear the throat, hawk, spit”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrākijan, from Proto-Germanic *hrēkijaną (“to clear one's throat”), from Proto-Indo-European *kreg- (“to caw, crow”). Cognate with Icelandic hrækja (“to hawk, spit”), Limburgish räöke (“to induce vomiting”), Bavarian reckn (“to retch, gag”) and German recken (“to retch, gag”). Also related with German Rachen (“throat”).
This word in other languages
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 "retch"?
What does "retch" mean?
How do you pronounce "retch"?
What is the origin of the word "retch"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “retch”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-T-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɛt͡ʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.