withdrew

/wɪðˈdɹuː/

//wɪðˈdɹuː// verb

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

The verdict

“withdrew” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,972 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#10,972
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - simple past of withdraw

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

withdrew vs withered
75% similar
withdrew vs withdraw
88% similar
withdrew vs withdrawn
78% similar

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

Key facts for withdrew
PropertyValue
Headwordwithdrew
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/wɪðˈdɹuː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,972
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “withdrew” 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). withdrew lands here:

#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 withdrew is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /wɪðˈdɹuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,972 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "simple past of withdraw".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for withdrew, with forms such as "iwthdrew", "wihtdrew", and "witdhrew". 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 It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "withered", "withdraw", "withdrawn", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is withdrew, spelled W-I-T-H-D-R-E-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past of withdraw

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iwthdrew,wihtdrew,witdhrew,withddrew,withderw,withdreww,withdrrew,withdrwe,withhdrew,withrdew,witthdrew,wtihdrew,wwithdrew

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

iwthdrew2wihtdrew2witdhrew2withddrew1withderw2withdreww1withdrrew1withdrwe2
Edit distance from "withdrew"

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 "withdrew"?
"withdrew" is spelled W-I-T-H-D-R-E-W. The IPA pronunciation is /wɪðˈdɹuː/.
What does "withdrew" mean?
As a verb, "withdrew" means: simple past of withdraw
What words are commonly confused with "withdrew"?
"withdrew" is commonly confused with "withered", "withdraw", "withdrawn". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "withdrew"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "withdrew" is /wɪðˈdɹuː/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "withdrew" come from?
"withdrew" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “withdrew”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-I-T-H-D-R-E-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /wɪðˈdɹuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “withered” - see the side-by-side comparison. withdrew vs withered
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list