Which to use
“wed” is a verb and “wold” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,997
- “wed” frequency rank
- #42,997
- “wold” frequency rank
- 54994
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wed | wold |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To perform the marriage ceremony for; to join in matrimony. | An unforested or deforested plain, a grassland, a moor. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wed and wold apart are highlighted. They share 2 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 wold is /wəʊld/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54994, 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/. wold is at rank #42,997, tagged as anoun, pronounced /wəʊld/.
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 54994, this pair ranks #136,923 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wed vs wold
Shared letters: dw. Private to "wed": e. Private to "wold": lo.
"wed" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "wold" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- wold ← owld · wlod · wodl · woldd · wolld · wwold
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wed" and "wold" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "wed" or "wold"?
Remembering wed vs wold
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 “wold”.
- 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