Which to use
“weigh” is a verb and “welch” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,303
- “weigh” frequency rank
- #17,993
- “welch” frequency rank
- 25296
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | weigh | welch |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To determine the weight of an object. | A person who defaults on an obligation, especially a small one. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set weigh and welch 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: weigh is /weɪ/ while welch is /wɛlt͡ʃ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25296, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
weigh is recorded at frequency rank #7,303, classified as averb, pronounced /weɪ/. welch is at rank #17,993, tagged as anoun, pronounced /wɛlt͡ʃ/.
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 25296, this pair ranks #395,385 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of weigh vs welch
Shared letters: ehw. Private to "weigh": gi. Private to "welch": cl.
"weigh" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "welch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "weigh" and "welch" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "weigh" or "welch"?
Remembering weigh vs welch
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “weigh”; for a noun, it's “welch”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “weigh” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable