Which to use
“wither” is a verb and “withers” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,431
- “wither” frequency rank
- #29,892
- “withers” frequency rank
- 58323
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wither | withers |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack of water. | The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wither and withers apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: wither is /ˈwɪðɚ/ while withers is /ˈwɪð.ɚz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “wither” sits inside “withers”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58323, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wither is recorded at frequency rank #28,431, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈwɪðɚ/. withers is at rank #29,892, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈwɪð.ɚz/.
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 58323, this pair ranks #113,342 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of wither vs withers
Shared letters: ehirtw. Private to "wither": -. Private to "withers": s.
"wither" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "withers" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wither" and "withers" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "wither" or "withers"?
Remembering wither vs withers
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “wither”; for a noun, it's “withers”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “wither” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable