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 eye mixes wordy and worth
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. wordy (CVCCV) and worth (CVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses wordy with worth
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "wordy" and "worth" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "wordy" or "worth"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "wordy" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "worth" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #174,133 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wordy" and "worth" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wold vs wordy". 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 #174,133 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.