Which to use
“worst” is an adjective and “writ” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,259
- “worst” frequency rank
- #19,743
- “writ” frequency rank
- 21002
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | worst | writ |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | superlative form of bad: most bad | A written order, issued by a court, ordering someone to do (or stop doing) something. |
Where the eye mixes worst and writ
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: worst vs writ
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: worst is /wɜːst/ while writ is /ɹɪt/. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21002, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
worst is recorded at frequency rank #1,259, classified as anadj, pronounced /wɜːst/. writ is at rank #19,743, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪt/.
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 21002, this pair ranks #427,121 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of worst vs writ
Shared letters: rtw. Private to "worst": os. Private to "writ": i.
"worst" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "writ" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "worst" and "writ" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "worst" or "writ" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "worst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "writ" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #427,121 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "worst" and "writ" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wim vs writ". 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 #427,121 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.