Which to use
“wed” is a verb and “wedge” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,997
- “wed” frequency rank
- #12,715
- “wedge” frequency rank
- 24712
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wed | wedge |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To perform the marriage ceremony for; to join in matrimony. | One of the simple machines; a piece of material, such as metal or wood, thick at one edge and tapered to a thin edge at the other for insertion in a narrow crevice, used for splitting, tightening, securing, or levering. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wed and wedge apart are highlighted. They share 3 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: wed is /ˈwɛd/ while wedge is /wɛd͡ʒ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “wed” sits inside “wedge”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24712, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wed is recorded at frequency rank #11,997, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈwɛd/. wedge is at rank #12,715, tagged as anoun, pronounced /wɛd͡ʒ/.
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 24712, this pair ranks #399,923 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wed vs wedge
Shared letters: dew. Private to "wed": -. Private to "wedge": g.
"wed" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "wedge" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- wedge ← ewdge · wdege · weddge · wedeg · wedgge · wegde · wwedge
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wed" and "wedge" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "wed" or "wedge"?
Remembering wed vs wedge
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “wed”; for a noun, it's “wedge”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “wed” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable