withdraw

/wɪðˈdɹɔː/

//wɪðˈdɹɔː// verb

"withdraw" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“withdraw” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,644. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,644
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To draw or pull (something) away or back from its original position or situation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-withdraw · withdraw · English

withdraw · rank #6,644 · 13 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,644
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH withdrawal

Nearest frequency peer: withdrawal (+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 neighbourhood for “withdraw”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “withdraw” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

withdraw vs withdrew
88% similar
withdraw vs withdrawn
89% similar
withdraw vs withdrawal
80% similar

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

Key facts for withdraw
PropertyValue
Headwordwithdraw
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/wɪðˈdɹɔː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,644
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “withdraw” 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).withdrawlands 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 “withdrawal” (#6,645), “youngest” (#6,646), “warming” (#6,641). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around withdraw (IPA /wɪðˈdɹɔː/), averb. Corpus frequency is #6,644 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 18 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for withdraw, with forms such as "iwthdraw", "wihtdraw", and "witdhraw". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "withdrew", "withdrawn", "withdrawal", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *wí From Middle English withdrawen, withdrauen (“to depart, leave, move away; (reflexive) to go away; (reflexive) to leave someone’s service; (often reflexive) to draw back or retreat (from a battlefield or dangerous place), withdraw; to abandon, … The correct English form is withdraw, spelled W-I-T-H-D-R-A-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To draw or pull (something) away or back from its original position or situation.
  2. 2
    To draw or pull (something) away or back from its original position or situation.
  3. 3
    To draw or pull (something) away or back from its original position or situation.
  4. 4
    To take away or take back (something previously given or permitted); to remove, to retract.
  5. 5
    To cause or help (someone) to stop taking an addictive drug or substance; to dry out.
  6. 6
    To take (one's eyes) off something; to look away.
  7. 7
    To disregard (something) as belonging to a certain group.
  8. 8
    To remove (a topic) from discussion or inquiry.
  9. 9
    To stop (a course of action, proceedings, etc.)
  10. 10
    To take back (a comment, something written, etc.); to recant, to retract.
  11. 11
    To distract or divert (someone) from a course of action, a goal, etc.
  12. 12
    To extract (money) from a bank account or other financial deposit.
  13. 13
    Chiefly followed by from: to leave a place, someone's presence, etc., to go to another room or place.
  14. 14
    Chiefly followed by from: to leave a place, someone's presence, etc., to go to another room or place.
  15. 15
    Chiefly followed by from: to stop taking part in some activity; also, to remove oneself from the company of others, from publicity, etc.
  16. 16
    To stop talking to or interacting with other people and start thinking thoughts not related to what is happening.
  17. 17
    To stop taking an addictive drug or substance; to undergo withdrawal.
  18. 18
    Of a man: to remove the penis from a partner's body orifice before ejaculation; to engage in coitus interruptus.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. VVhy vvithdravveſt thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy boſome.
  2. Hovv counterfeit a coin they are vvho friends / Bear in their Superſcription (of the moſt / I vvould be underſtood) in proſperous days / They ſvvarm, but in adverſe vvithdravv their head / Not to be found, though ſought.

Etymology

PIE word *wí From Middle English withdrawen, withdrauen (“to depart, leave, move away; (reflexive) to go away; (reflexive) to leave someone’s service; (often reflexive) to draw back or retreat (from a battlefield or dangerous place), withdraw; to abandon, desert; to go, go forth; to move; of the sea, water, etc.: to (cause to) ebb, recede, subside; to disappear; to slacken, wane; (often reflexive) to cease, stop; to desist, refrain; (reflexive) to go back on, recant; to avoid, eschew; to bring under control, contain, suppress; to curb, curtail; to delay, put off; to demur, refuse; to carry or take away, deprive of, remove; to contract, draw away or in, retract; to deny, refuse; to revoke; to withhold; to divert; to separate; to adopt, borrow, imitate”) [and other forms], from with- (prefix meaning ‘away; back’) + drawen, drauen (“to drag, pull, tow, tug, draw [and other senses]”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ- (“to drag, pull; to run”)); see further at with- and draw. The English word is analysable as with- + draw.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwthdraw
  • wihtdraw
  • witdhraw
  • withdarw
  • withddraw
  • withdraww
  • withdrraw
  • withdrwa
  • withhdraw
  • withrdaw
  • witthdraw
  • wtihdraw
  • wwithdraw

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of withdraw - 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.

iwthdraw2wihtdraw2witdhraw2withdarw2withddraw1withdraww1withdrraw1withdrwa2
Edit distance from "withdraw"

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 "withdraw"?
"withdraw" is spelled W-I-T-H-D-R-A-W. The IPA pronunciation is /wɪðˈdɹɔː/.
What does "withdraw" mean?
As a verb, "withdraw" means: To draw or pull (something) away or back from its original position or situation.
What words are commonly confused with "withdraw"?
"withdraw" is commonly confused with "withdrew", "withdrawn", "withdrawal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "withdraw"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "withdraw" is /wɪðˈdɹɔː/. 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 "withdraw"?
PIE word *wí From Middle English withdrawen, withdrauen (“to depart, leave, move away; (reflexive) to go away; (reflexive) to leave someone’s service; (often reflexive) to draw back or retreat (from a battlefield or dangerous place), withdraw; to... 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 "withdraw", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "withdraw". Here's where to go from here.

  • "withdraw" maps to 3 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "withdrew". View pair
  • 13 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #6,644 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "W" letter cohort. W–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list