# worse

> English word · Adjective · IPA /wɜːs/ · frequency rank #1,381

## Definitions
1. comparative form of bad: more bad

## Etymology
From Middle English worse, werse, from Old English wiersa, from Proto-West Germanic *wirsiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *wirsizô. Cognate with Dutch wers (“worse”).

## Easily confused with
- **wort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worse-vs-wort)
- **wove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worse-vs-wove)
- **worth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worse-vs-worth)
- **worst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worse-vs-worst)
- **worsen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worse-vs-worsen)
- **woe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/woe-vs-worse)
- **wor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wor-vs-worse)
- **were** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/were-vs-worse)
- **work** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/work-vs-worse)
- **word** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/word-vs-worse)
- **wars** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wars-vs-worse)
- **wise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wise-vs-worse)
- **wire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wire-vs-worse)
- **wore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wore-vs-worse)
- **worn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worn-vs-worse)
- **woke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/woke-vs-worse)
- **worm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-worse)
- **ware** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ware-vs-worse)
- **woes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/woes-vs-worse)
- **world** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worse)

## Common misspellings (7)
`owrse`, `wores`, `worrse`, `worsse`, `wosre`, `wrose`, `wworse`

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