Which to use
“weigh” is a verb and “whig” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,303
- “weigh” frequency rank
- #29,518
- “whig” frequency rank
- 36821
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | weigh | whig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To determine the weight of an object. | Acidulated whey, sometimes mixed with buttermilk and sweet herbs, used as a cooling beverage. |
Where the eye mixes weigh and whig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. weigh runs 5 letters (CVVCC) against whig's 4 (CCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses weigh with whig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: weigh is /weɪ/ while whig is /ʍɪɡ/. 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 36821, 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/. whig is at rank #29,518, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ʍɪɡ/.
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 36821, this pair ranks #299,886 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of weigh vs whig
Shared letters: ghiw. Private to "weigh": e. Private to "whig": -.
"weigh" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "whig" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "weigh" and "whig" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "weigh" or "whig"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "weigh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "whig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #299,886 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "weigh" and "whig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "whig vs wim". 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 #299,886 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.