wordyvsworthWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“wordy” and “worth” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#49,727
“wordy” frequency rank
#726
“worth” frequency rank
50453
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wordy worth
Definition Using an excessive number of words. Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wordy and worth apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
wordy
5 ch
worth

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wordy (/ˈwɝdi/) and worth (/wɜːθ/) 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 50453, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wordy is recorded at frequency rank #49,727, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈwɝdi/. worth is at rank #726, tagged as anadj, pronounced /wɜːθ/.

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 50453, this pair ranks #174,133 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of wordy vs worth

Shared letters: orw. Private to "wordy": dy. Private to "worth": ht.

"wordy" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "worth" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wordyowrdy · wodry · worddy · wordyy · worrdy · woryd · wrody · wwordy
  • worthowrth · worht · worrth · worthh · wortth · wotrh · wroth · wworth

Frequency comparison

wordy#49,727
worth#726

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wordy" and "worth" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈwɝdi/ versus /wɜːθ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wordy" or "worth"?
"worth" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #726 in our English list, against #49,727 for "wordy". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering wordy vs worth

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “wordy” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list