# belt vs berth

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### belt
*noun · IPA /bɛlt/ · frequency rank #3,471*
A band worn around the waist to hold clothing to one's body (usually pants), hold weapons (such as a gun or sword), or serve as a decorative piece of clothing.

### berth
*noun · IPA /bɜːθ/ · frequency rank #16,179*
Chiefly in wide berth: a sufficient space in the water for a ship or other vessel to lie at anchor or manoeuvre without getting in the way of other vessels, or colliding into rocks or the shore.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belt-vs-berth