Which to use
“wide” is an adjective and “write” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,128
- “wide” frequency rank
- #38,531
- “write” frequency rank
- 58659
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wide | write |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von großer Ausdehnung | (Symbole, Buchstaben, Wörter) auf einer Fläche zeichnen, formen, zum Beispiel mit einem Bleistift |
Where the eye mixes wide and write
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: wide vs write
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: wide is [waɪd] while write is [ɹaɪt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58659, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wide is recorded at frequency rank #20,128, classified as anadj, pronounced [waɪd]. write is at rank #38,531, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɹaɪt].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 58659, this pair ranks #854,198 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wide vs write
Shared letters: eiw. Private to "wide": d. Private to "write": rt.
"wide" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "write" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wide" and "write" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "wide" or "write"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "wide" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "write" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #854,198 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wide" and "write" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "write vs writer". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #854,198 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.