Wretch-Retch | Commonly Confused Words
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Wretch vs. Retch

Wretch

/retʃ/
A person who is very unhappy or in a very difficult situation.

Examples:

The poor wretch had lost everything in the fire.Even the villain was a wretch seeking redemption.Her heart went out to the lonely wretch on the street.

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Retch

/retʃ/
To make the sound and motion of vomiting or to gag without necessarily expelling anything.

Examples:

The smell made him retch violently.I start to retch at the thought of eating that.She turned away, trying to suppress the retch.

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Ways to tell them apart:

etymology
  • Wretch often refers to a miserable or unfortunate person, while retch is the action of gagging or making the sound of vomiting.
  • Think of wretch as referring to a person (W for Who), whereas retch is what you do (R for Reaction).
  • Wretch can be tied to emotions or state of being, while retch is a physical reaction.
  • When you feel empathy for someone, theyre a wretch; when you feel like throwing up, you retch'.
  • If it involves pity and sympathy, its wretch; if it involves nausea, its retch.
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