Which to use
“weak” is an adjective and “werk” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,237
- “weak” frequency rank
- #46,860
- “werk” frequency rank
- 49097
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | weak | werk |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Lacking in force (usually strength) or ability. | Alternative form of work. |
Letter map: weak vs werk
Shared letters muted; letters that set weak and werk apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.
Role in the sentence - weak and werk
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: weak is anadjective and werkaverb. On the page they differ by a single letter - a in “weak” becomes r in “werk”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49097, 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/. werk is at rank #46,860, tagged as averb.
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 49097, this pair ranks #186,874 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of weak vs werk
Shared letters: ekw. Private to "weak": a. Private to "werk": r.
"weak" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "werk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "weak" for "werk" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "weak" or "werk" show up more?
What to do next
You've compared "weak" and "werk". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "weak" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "werk" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #186,874 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "weak" and "werk" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Wea vs werk". 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 #186,874 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.