Which to use
“writ” is a noun and “write” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,743
- “writ” frequency rank
- #1,008
- “write” frequency rank
- 20751
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | writ | write |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A written order, issued by a court, ordering someone to do (or stop doing) something. | To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in order to communicate. |
Where the eye mixes writ and write
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses writ with write
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: writ is /ɹɪt/ while write is /ɹaɪt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “writ” sits inside “write”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20751, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
writ is recorded at frequency rank #19,743, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪt/. write is at rank #1,008, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹaɪt/.
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 20751, this pair ranks #428,914 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of writ vs write
Shared letters: irtw. Private to "writ": -. Private to "write": e.
"writ" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "write" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "writ" for "write" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "writ" or "write" 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 "writ" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "write" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #428,914 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "writ" and "write" 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 #428,914 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.