Which to use
“weak” is an adjective and “weaken” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,237
- “weak” frequency rank
- #15,305
- “weaken” frequency rank
- 17542
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | weak | weaken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Lacking in force (usually strength) or ability. | To make weaker or less strong. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set weak and weaken apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: weak is /wiːk/ while weaken is /ˈwikən/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “weak” sits inside “weaken”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17542, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
weak is recorded at frequency rank #2,237, classified as anadj, pronounced /wiːk/. weaken is at rank #15,305, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈwikən/.
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 17542, this pair ranks #450,756 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of weak vs weaken
Shared letters: aekw. Private to "weak": -. Private to "weaken": n.
"weak" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "weaken" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "weak" and "weaken" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "weak" or "weaken"?
Remembering weak vs weaken
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “weak”; for a verb, it's “weaken”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “weak” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable