wither

/ˈwɪðɚ/

//ˈwɪðɚ// verb

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

"wither" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wither” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,431. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,431
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack of water.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wither · wither · English

wither · rank #28,431 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,431
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Winn

Nearest frequency peer: Winn (-2 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 “wither”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “wither” 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).

wither vs within
67% similar
wither vs writer
67% similar
wither vs witted
67% similar

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

Key facts for wither
PropertyValue
Headwordwither
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈwɪðɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#28,431
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wither” 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).witherlands 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 “Winn” (#28,429), “wobble” (#28,433), “Winfrey” (#28,428). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around wither (IPA /ˈwɪðɚ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #28,431 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for wither, with forms such as "iwther", "wihter", and "witehr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "within", "writer", "witted", 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 widren, wydderen (“to dry up, shrivel”), related to or perhaps an alteration of Middle English wederen (“to expose to weather”), from Old English wederian (“to expose to weather, exhibit a change of weather”). Cognates From Proto-Germani… The correct English form is wither, spelled W-I-T-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack of water.
  2. 2
    To cause to shrivel or dry up.
  3. 3
    To lose vigour or power; to languish; to waste away; to pass away.
  4. 4
    To become helpless due to emotion.
  5. 5
    To make helpless due to emotion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The flowers began to wither in the hot sun without enough water.
  2. She watched as the old tree slowly withered with time.

Etymology

From Middle English widren, wydderen (“to dry up, shrivel”), related to or perhaps an alteration of Middle English wederen (“to expose to weather”), from Old English wederian (“to expose to weather, exhibit a change of weather”). Cognates From Proto-Germanic: Dutch verwederen, Dutch verweren (“to erode by weather”), German verwittern, wittern (“to be ruined by weather; to erode”), Swedish vittra (“wither”). More at weather.

This word in other languages

marchitarse(Español)flétrir(Français)vertrocknen(Deutsch)mirrar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwther
  • wihter
  • witehr
  • witherr
  • withher
  • withre
  • witther
  • wtiher
  • wwither

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

iwther2wihter2witehr2witherr1withher1withre2witther1wtiher2
Edit distance from "wither"

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 "wither"?
"wither" is spelled W-I-T-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪðɚ/.
What does "wither" mean?
As a verb, "wither" means: To shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack of water.
What words are commonly confused with "wither"?
"wither" is commonly confused with "within", "writer", "witted". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wither"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wither" is /ˈwɪðɚ/. 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 "wither"?
From Middle English widren, wydderen (“to dry up, shrivel”), related to or perhaps an alteration of Middle English wederen (“to expose to weather”), from Old English wederian (“to expose to weather, exhibit a change of weather”). Cognates From Pro... 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 "wither", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wobble#28,433Yvette#28,436weller#28,425waxing#28,423

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

uterine9 variantsantennae9 variantsTuscan9 variantsThelma9 variants

What to do next

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

  • "wither" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "within". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #28,431 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