weed

Name: weed, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/wiːd/

//wiːd// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“weed” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,566 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,566
frequency rank, English: 4
letters: 4
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any plant unwanted at the place where and at the time when it is growing.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

weed vs wet

50% similar

weed vs WWE

0% similar

weed vs Wes

25% similar

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

Key facts for weed
Property	Value
Headword	weed
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/wiːd/
Letters	4
Frequency rank	#4,566
Misspellings tracked	4
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “weed” sits in English frequency

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

#4,566

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for weed is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /wiːd/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,566 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for weed, with forms such as "ewed", "wede", and "weedd". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "wet", "WWE", "Wes", 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 weed, weod, from Old English wēod (“weed”), from Proto-West Germanic *weud (“weed”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Jood (“weed”), West Frisian wjûd (“weed”), Dutch wied (“unwanted plant, weed”), German Low German Weed (“weed”), Old High… The correct English form is weed, spelled W-E-E-D.

Definition

1
Any plant unwanted at the place where and at the time when it is growing.
2
Ellipsis of duckweed.
3
Underbrush; low shrubs.
4
A drug or the like made from the leaves of a plant.
5
A drug or the like made from the leaves of a plant.
6
A drug or the like made from the leaves of a plant.
7
A weak horse, which is therefore unfit to breed from.
8
A puny person; one who has little physical strength.
9
Something unprofitable or troublesome; anything useless.

Etymology

From Middle English weed, weod, from Old English wēod (“weed”), from Proto-West Germanic *weud (“weed”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Jood (“weed”), West Frisian wjûd (“weed”), Dutch wied (“unwanted plant, weed”), German Low German Weed (“weed”), Old High German wiota (“fern”). See also woad.

This word in other languages

mala hierba(Español)mauvaise herbe(Français)Unkraut(Deutsch)mato(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ewed,wede,weedd,wweed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of weed - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "weed"

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 "weed"?

"weed" is spelled W-E-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /wiːd/.

What does "weed" mean?

As a noun, "weed" means: Any plant unwanted at the place where and at the time when it is growing.

What words are commonly confused with "weed"?

"weed" is commonly confused with "wet", "WWE", "Wes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "weed"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "weed" is /wiːd/. 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 "weed"?

From Middle English weed, weod, from Old English wēod (“weed”), from Proto-West Germanic *weud (“weed”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Jood (“weed”), West Frisian wjûd (“weed”), Dutch wied (“unwanted plant, weed”), German Low German Weed (“weed”)... 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.

Using “weed”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is W-E-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /wiːd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “wet” - see the side-by-side comparison. weed vs wet
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.