# wealth

> English word · Noun · IPA /wɛlθ/ · frequency rank #2,974

## Definitions
1. Riches; a great amount of valuable assets or material possessions.
2. A great amount; an abundance or plenty.
3. Prosperity; well-being; happiness.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English welth, welthe (“happiness, prosperity”), from Old English *welþ, *welþu, from Proto-West Germanic *waliþu (“wealth”). Alternatively, possibly an alteration (due to similar words in -th: compare helth (“health”), derth (“dearth”)) of wele (“wealth, well-being, weal”), from Old English wela (“wealth, prosperity”), from Proto-Germanic *walô (“well-being, prosperity”), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“good, best”); equivalent to weal + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Dutch weelde (“wealth”), Low German weelde (“wealth”), Old High German welida, welitha (“wealth”). Related also to German Wohl (“welfare, well-being, weal”), Danish vel (“weal, welfare”), Swedish väl (“well-being, weal”). More at weal, well.

## Easily confused with
- **Welt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wealth-vs-welt)
- **Welsh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wealth-vs-welsh)
- **wrath** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wealth-vs-wrath)
- **welch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wealth-vs-welch)
- **wreath** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wealth-vs-wreath)
- **wraith** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wealth-vs-wraith)
- **wealthy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wealth-vs-wealthy)
- **Walt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/walt-vs-wealth)
- **Walsh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/walsh-vs-wealth)
- **waltz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/waltz-vs-wealth)

## Common misspellings (9)
`ewalth`, `waelth`, `wealht`, `weallth`, `wealthh`, `wealtth`, `weatlh`, `welath`, `wwealth`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/wealth