scratch
Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.
Letters
7 characters
Language
English
word origin
Source
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Detailed reference entry for the English word "scratch", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "scratch" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "scratch" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
scratch is aEnglishverb. It means: To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc. Pronounced /skɹæt͡ʃ/. It ranks #5,547 in English word frequency. Often confused with snatch and swatch.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | scratch |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /skɹæt͡ʃ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #5,547 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 8 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency rank visualization
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for scratch is 7 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /skɹæt͡ʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,547 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 12 documented wrong-spelling variants for scratch, with forms such as "csratch", "scartch", and "sccratch". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "snatch", "swatch", "stretch", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English scracchen, of uncertain origin. Probably a blend of Middle English scratten (“to scratch”) and cracchen (“to scratch”). More at scrat and cratch. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is scratch, spelled S-C-R-A-T-C-H, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.
- 2To rub the skin with rough material causing a sensation of irritation; to cause itching.
- 3To rub the skin with rough material causing a sensation of irritation; to cause itching.
- 4To mark a surface with a sharp object, thereby leaving a scratch (noun).
- 5To get such scratches.
- 6To cross out, strike out, strike through some text on a page.
- 7To cross out, strike out, strike through some text on a page.
- 8To produce a distinctive sound on a turntable by moving a vinyl record back and forth while manipulating the crossfader (see also scratching).
- 9To commit a foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.
- 10To score, not by skillful play but by some fortunate chance of the game.
- 11To write or draw hastily or awkwardly; scrawl.
- 12To dig or excavate with the claws.
- 13To dig or scrape (a person's skin) with claws or fingernails in self-defense or with the intention to injure.
- 14To announce one's non-participation in a race or sports event part of a larger sports meeting that one was previously signed up for, usually in lieu of another event at the same meeting.
Etymology
From Middle English scracchen, of uncertain origin. Probably a blend of Middle English scratten (“to scratch”) and cracchen (“to scratch”). More at scrat and cratch.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: csratch,scartch,sccratch,scracth,scratcch,scratchh,scrathc,scrattch,scrratch,scrtach,srcatch,sscratch
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
Relative frequency of common misspelling types for scratch
Misspelling Variants of "scratch"
Frequency rank: #5,547 in English
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Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index: