wed

/ˈwɛd/

//ˈwɛd// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"wed" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wed” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #11,997) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#11,997
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To perform the marriage ceremony for; to join in matrimony.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wed · wed · English

wed · rank #11,997 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,997
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Warsaw

Nearest frequency peer: Warsaw (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “wed”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “wed” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

wed vs wi
33% similar
wed vs Wu
0% similar
wed vs wo
33% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for wed
PropertyValue
Headwordwed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈwɛd/
Letters3
Frequency rank#11,997
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “wed”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).wedlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Warsaw” (#11,996), “versatile” (#11,995), “Yi” (#11,999). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wed” is #11,997. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for wed is neighbouring look-alikes ("wi", "Wu", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /ˈwɛd/. Frequency #11,997 among 1,759 “W” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for wed, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "wi", "Wu", "wo", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wedden, weddien, from Old English weddian (“to pledge; wed”), from Proto-West Germanic *waddjōn, from Proto-Germanic *wadjōną (“to pledge”), from *wadją (“pledge”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- (“to pledge”). Cognate with S… The correct English form is wed, spelled W-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To perform the marriage ceremony for; to join in matrimony.
  2. 2
    To take as one's spouse.
  3. 3
    To take a spouse.
  4. 4
    To take each other as a spouse.
  5. 5
    To join or commit to, more or less permanently, as if in marriage.
  6. 6
    To take to oneself and support; to espouse.
  7. 7
    To wager, stake, bet, place a bet, make a wager.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how wed appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The priest wed the couple.
  2. And Adam, wedded to another Eve, Shall live with her.

Etymology

From Middle English wedden, weddien, from Old English weddian (“to pledge; wed”), from Proto-West Germanic *waddjōn, from Proto-Germanic *wadjōną (“to pledge”), from *wadją (“pledge”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- (“to pledge”). Cognate with Scots wed, wod, wad (“to wed”), Saterland Frisian wädje (“to bet, wager”), West Frisian wedzje (“to bet, wager”), Low German and Dutch wedden (“to bet”), German wetten (“to bet”), Danish vædde (“to bet”), Swedish vädja (“to appeal”), Icelandic veðja (“to bet”); more distantly, to Sanskrit वधू (vadhū́, “bride”). Related also to gage, engage, and wage.

Synonyms

marry

This word in other languages

casar(Español)marier(Français)trauen(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "wed"?
"wed" is spelled W-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɛd/.
What does "wed" mean?
As a verb, "wed" means: To perform the marriage ceremony for; to join in matrimony.
What words are commonly confused with "wed"?
"wed" is commonly confused with "wi", "Wu", "wo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wed" is /ˈwɛd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "wed"?
From Middle English wedden, weddien, from Old English weddian (“to pledge; wed”), from Proto-West Germanic *waddjōn, from Proto-Germanic *wadjōną (“to pledge”), from *wadją (“pledge”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- (“to pledge”). Cogn... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "wed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Zoe#12,000CBD#12,017SMS#11,968elf#12,041

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list