# writ

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɹɪt/ · frequency rank #19,743

## Definitions
1. A written order, issued by a court, ordering someone to do (or stop doing) something.
2. A document ordering that an election be conducted.
3. An order issued by the House of Lords summoning peers to the Chamber.
4. Authority, power to enforce compliance.
5. That which is written; writing.

## Etymology
From Middle English writ, from Old English writ and ġewrit (“writing”), from Proto-Germanic *writą (“fissure, writing”), from Proto-Indo-European *wrey-, *wrī- (“to scratch, carve, ingrave”). Cognate with Scots writ (“writ, writing, handwriting”), Icelandic rit (“writing, writ, literary work, publication”).

## Easily confused with
- **wt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/writ-vs-wt)
- **wut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/writ-vs-wut)
- **wry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/writ-vs-wry)
- **wrote** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/writ-vs-wrote)
- **write** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/writ-vs-write)
- **writer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/writ-vs-writer)
- **writes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/writ-vs-writes)
- **wi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wi-vs-writ)
- **win** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/win-vs-writ)
- **wet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wet-vs-writ)
- **wit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wit-vs-writ)
- **Wii** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wii-vs-writ)
- **wig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wig-vs-writ)
- **Wei** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wei-vs-writ)
- **wat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wat-vs-writ)
- **wis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wis-vs-writ)
- **wai** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wai-vs-writ)
- **wiz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wiz-vs-writ)
- **wot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wot-vs-writ)
- **Wie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wie-vs-writ)

## Common misspellings (6)
`rwit`, `wirt`, `writt`, `wrrit`, `wrti`, `wwrit`

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