# world

> English word · Noun · IPA /wɜːld/ · frequency rank #136

## Definitions
1. The subjective human experience, regarded collectively; human collective existence; existence in general; the reality we live in.
2. The subjective human experience, regarded individually.
3. A majority of people.
4. The Universe.
5. The Earth, especially in a geopolitical or cultural context, or as the physical planet.
6. Any of several possible scenarios concerning The Earth, either as the physical planet, or in a geopolitical, cultural or societal context.
7. (Several) alternative scenarios concerning The Earth, either as the physical planet, or in a geopolitical, cultural or societal context.
8. A planet, especially one which is inhabited or inhabitable.
9. A planet, especially one which is inhabited or inhabitable.
10. A very large extent of country.
11. In various mythologies, cosmologies, etc., one of a number of separate realms or regions having different characteristics and occupied by different types of inhabitants.
12. A fictional realm, such as a planet, containing one or multiple societies of beings, especially intelligent ones.
13. An individual or group perspective or social setting.
14. The part of an operating system distributed with the kernel, consisting of the shell and other programs.
15. A subdivision of a game, consisting of a series of stages or levels that usually share a similar environment or theme.
16. The twenty-second trump or major arcana card of the tarot.
17. A great amount, a lot.
18. Age, era.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁-?
Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós
Proto-Germanic *weraz
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂életi
Proto-Germanic *alaną
Proto-Indo-European *-tis
Proto-Germanic *-þiz
Proto-Germanic *aldiz
Proto-Germanic *weraldiz
Proto-West Germanic *weraldi
Old English weorold
Middle English world
English world
From Middle English world, from Old English weorold (“world”), from Proto-West Germanic *weraldi, from Proto-Germanic *weraldiz (“lifetime, human existence, world”, literally “age/era of man”), equivalent to wer (“man”) + eld (“age”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English mounde (“world”), from Old French monde, munde (“world”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots warld (“world”), North Frisian Wārel, wäält, wråål (“world”), Saterland Frisian Waareld (“world”), West Frisian wrâld (“world”), Afrikaans wêreld (“world”), Bavarian Wöd (“world”), Dutch wereld (“world”), German, Luxembourgish Welt (“world”), German Low German Wereld, Werld (“world”), Vilamovian wełt (“world”), Yiddish וועלט (velt, “world”), Danish verden (“world”), Elfdalian wärd (“world”), Faroese verð, verøld (“world”), Icelandic veröld (“world”), Norn vrildan (“the earth”), Norwegian Bokmål verd, verden (“(the) world”), Norwegian Nynorsk verd (“world”), Swedish värld (“world”).

## Easily confused with
- **worn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worn)
- **worm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worm)
- **wort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-wort)
- **would** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-would)
- **worth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worth)
- **worst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worst)
- **worse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worse)
- **worry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worry)
- **wound** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-wound)
- **Worms** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worms)
- **worlds** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worlds)
- **woulda** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-woulda)
- **worldly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worldly)
- **wor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wor-vs-world)
- **work** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/work-vs-world)
- **word** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/word-vs-world)
- **wild** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wild-vs-world)
- **wood** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wood-vs-world)
- **ward** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ward-vs-world)
- **wolf** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wolf-vs-world)

## Common misspellings (8)
`owrld`, `wolrd`, `wordl`, `worldd`, `worlld`, `worrld`, `wrold`, `wworld`

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