# withers

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈwɪð.ɚz/ · frequency rank #29,892

## Definitions
1. The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height.

## Etymology
From dialectal English wither (“against”) (compare wither-) + -s; see with. So-named because it is the part of the horse that pushes against a load. Compare German Widerrist (“withers”), from wider (“against”) + Rist (“wrist”).

## Easily confused with
- **writers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/withers-vs-writers)
- **witness** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/withers-vs-witness)
- **waters** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/waters-vs-withers)
- **wishes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wishes-vs-withers)
- **wither** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wither-vs-withers)
- **wether** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wether-vs-withers)
- **winters** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/winters-vs-withers)
- **witcher** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/witcher-vs-withers)
- **Watters** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/watters-vs-withers)
- **withered** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/withered-vs-withers)

## Common misspellings (11)
`iwthers`, `wihters`, `witehrs`, `witherrs`, `witherss`, `withesr`, `withhers`, `withres`, `witthers`, `wtihers`, `wwithers`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/withers