scratchy
/ˈskɹæt͡ʃi/
"scratchy" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“scratchy” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #37,677 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #37,677
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Characterized by scratches.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | scratchy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈskɹæt͡ʃi/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #37,677 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “scratchy” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for scratchy is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈskɹæt͡ʃi/. Corpus data places it at rank #37,677 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for scratchy, with forms such as "csratchy", "scartchy", and "sccratchy". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "stretchy", "scratch", "scratched", 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 scratch + -y. The correct English form is scratchy, spelled S-C-R-A-T-C-H-Y.
Definition
- 1Characterized by scratches.
- 2Irritating; itchy.
- 3Noisy, lossy; marred by white noise or static as a result of poor or low signal, interference or unfavourable atmospheric conditions.
- 4Having popping and/or crackling sounds due to excessive wear, especially from scratch marks.
- 5Irritable; tetchy.
Etymology
From scratch + -y.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: csratchy,scartchy,sccratchy,scracthy,scratcchy,scratchhy,scratchyy,scratcyh,scrathcy,scrattchy,scrratchy,scrtachy,srcatchy,sscratchy
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of scratchy - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "scratchy"?
What does "scratchy" mean?
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Using “scratchy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-C-R-A-T-C-H-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈskɹæt͡ʃi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “stretchy” - see the side-by-side comparison. scratchy vs stretchy
- 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.