Which to use
“withstand” and “withstood” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,170
- “withstand” frequency rank
- #36,015
- “withstood” frequency rank
- 48185
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | withstand | withstood |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To resist or endure (something) successfully. | simple past and past participle of withstand |
Where the eye mixes withstand and withstood
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses withstand with withstood
A purely visual mix-up. withstand (/wɪðˈstænd/) and withstood (/wɪθˈstʊd/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48185, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
withstand is recorded at frequency rank #12,170, classified as averb, pronounced /wɪðˈstænd/. withstood is at rank #36,015, tagged as averb, pronounced /wɪθˈstʊd/.
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 48185, this pair ranks #195,463 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of withstand vs withstood
Shared letters: dhistw. Private to "withstand": an. Private to "withstood": o.
"withstand" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCCVCC · "withstood" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "withstand" and "withstood" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "withstand" vs "withstood" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "withstand" and "withstood" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "withstand" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "withstood" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #195,463 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- 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 #195,463 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.