# wren

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɹɛn/ · frequency rank #25,979

## Definitions
1. Troglodytes troglodytes (Eurasian wren, type species and sole Old World species of the family Troglodytidae).
2. Any member of a mainly New World passerine bird family Troglodytidae; a true wren.
3. Any small bird of similar appearance to a true wren, such as a fairywren or scrubwren.

## Etymology
From Middle English wrenne, wranne, from Old English wrenna, wrænna, werna, wærna, wrenne (“wren”), from Proto-West Germanic *wrandijō, from Proto-Germanic *wrandijô (“wren”).
Cognate with Old Saxon wrendilo (“wren”), Old High German rento, rentilo (“wren”), Danish rindel (“wren”), Icelandic rindill (“wren”).

## Easily confused with
- **WWE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wren-vs-wwe)
- **wry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wren-vs-wry)
- **wye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wren-vs-wye)
- **writ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wren-vs-writ)
- **wynn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wren-vs-wynn)
- **wrong** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wren-vs-wrong)
- **wring** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wren-vs-wring)
- **wrest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wren-vs-wrest)
- **wrench** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wren-vs-wrench)
- **we** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/we-vs-wren)
- **win** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/win-vs-wren)
- **won** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/won-vs-wren)
- **web** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/web-vs-wren)
- **wet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wet-vs-wren)
- **wee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wee-vs-wren)
- **wan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wan-vs-wren)
- **wed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wed-vs-wren)
- **Wes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wes-vs-wren)
- **wen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wen-vs-wren)
- **Wei** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wei-vs-wren)

## Common misspellings (6)
`rwen`, `wern`, `wrenn`, `wrne`, `wrren`, `wwren`

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