weir

/wɪə̯/

//wɪə̯// noun

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

"weir" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“weir” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #14,670) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#14,670
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An adjustable dam placed across a river to regulate the flow of water downstream.

Corpus desk

Index EN-weir · weir · English

weir · rank #14,670 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,670
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH weeds

Nearest frequency peer: weeds (-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 “weir”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “weir” 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).

weir vs wi
50% similar
weir vs win
50% similar
weir vs wet
50% similar

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

Key facts for weir
PropertyValue
Headwordweir
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/wɪə̯/
Letters4
Frequency rank#14,670
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “weir”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).weirlands 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 “weeds” (#14,669), “Waterloo” (#14,668), “Warwick” (#14,667). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “weir” is #14,670. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for weir is neighbouring look-alikes ("wi", "win", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /wɪə̯/. Frequency #14,670 among 1,759 “W” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for weir, with forms such as "ewir", "weirr", and "weri". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "wi", "win", "wet", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English were, from Old English wer, from werian (“to dam up”), from Proto-West Germanic *warjan, from Proto-Germanic *warjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover”); Cognate with Old Norse ver (“station for fishing”), Sanskrit वृणोति (vṛṇó… The correct English form is weir, spelled W-E-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An adjustable dam placed across a river to regulate the flow of water downstream.
  2. 2
    A fence placed across a river to catch fish.
  3. 3
    Seaweed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Though Hambleden's parish register records the death, in 1753, of a bargeman 'Kill'd by accident, shooting ye lock', the turbulent waters of Mill End weir on the River Thames, about a mile from the village, still attract canoeists.
  2. The weir must not represent a physical barrier to fish migration, both locally and throughout the whole river system. If necessary, a fishway is included in the weir.

Etymology

From Middle English were, from Old English wer, from werian (“to dam up”), from Proto-West Germanic *warjan, from Proto-Germanic *warjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover”); Cognate with Old Norse ver (“station for fishing”), Sanskrit वृणोति (vṛṇóti). Related to warranty.

This word in other languages

aliviadero(Español)seuil(Français)Wehr(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ewir
  • weirr
  • weri
  • wweir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of weir - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ewir2weirr1weri2wweir1
Edit distance from "weir"

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 "weir"?
"weir" is spelled W-E-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is /wɪə̯/.
What does "weir" mean?
As a noun, "weir" means: An adjustable dam placed across a river to regulate the flow of water downstream.
What words are commonly confused with "weir"?
"weir" is commonly confused with "wi", "win", "wet". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "weir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "weir" is /wɪə̯/. 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 "weir"?
From Middle English were, from Old English wer, from werian (“to dam up”), from Proto-West Germanic *warjan, from Proto-Germanic *warjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover”); Cognate with Old Norse ver (“station for fishing”), Sanskrit वृ... 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 "weir", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vita#14,664airs#14,688bruh#14,711Cass#14,714

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list