write

Name: write, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ɹaɪt/

//ɹaɪt// verb

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“write” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,008. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,008
frequency rank, English: 12,113
“W” headwords: 7
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in order to communicate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-write · write · English

write · rank #1,008 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

FREQ-COMMON #1,008
LEN-MID 5 letters
VOW-2 2 vowels
CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
VAR-MID 7 variants
BOOK-DENSE 12,113
PHOTO-FINISH tonight

Nearest frequency peer: tonight (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

specific

98,996
standard

98,995
tonight

98,994
write

98,993
y

98,992
album

98,991

What this shows Bars show where “write” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

write vs wrote

80% similar

write vs writer

83% similar

write vs writes

83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for write
Property	Value
Headword	write
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/ɹaɪt/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#1,008
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “write” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). write lands here:

#1,008

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around write (IPA /ɹaɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,008 among 12,113 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for write, with forms such as "rwite", "wirte", and "wriet". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "wrote", "writer", "writes", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English writen, from Old English wrītan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrītan, from Proto-Germanic *wrītaną (“to carve, write”), from Proto-Indo-European *wrey- (“to rip, tear”). Cognate with West Frisian write (“to wear by rubbing, rip, tear”), Dut… The correct English form is write, spelled W-R-I-T-E.

Definition

1
To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in order to communicate.
2
To be the author of (a book, article, poem, etc.).
3
To compose and send written information (to).
4
To compose and send (written information or a written message, e.g. a letter) to.
5
To compose and send (written information or a written message, e.g. a letter) to.
6
To show (information, etc) in written form.
7
To be an author.
8
To record data mechanically or electronically.
9
To fill in, to complete using words.
10
To impress durably; to imprint; to engrave.
11
To make known by writing; to record; to prove by one's own written testimony; often used reflexively.
12
To sell (an option or other derivative).
13
To paint a religious icon or a pysanka egg.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how write appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

The pupil wrote his name on the paper.
Your son has been writing on the wall.

Etymology

From Middle English writen, from Old English wrītan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrītan, from Proto-Germanic *wrītaną (“to carve, write”), from Proto-Indo-European *wrey- (“to rip, tear”). Cognate with West Frisian write (“to wear by rubbing, rip, tear”), Dutch wrijten (“to argue, quarrel”), Middle Low German wrîten (“to scratch, draw, write”) (> Low German wrieten, rieten (“to tear, split”)), German reißen (“to tear, rip”), Norwegian rita (“to rough-sketch, carve, write”), Swedish rita (“to draw, design, delineate, model”), Icelandic rita (“to cut, scratch, write”), German ritzen (“to carve, scratch”), Proto-Slavic *ryti (“to carve, engrave, dig”), Polish ryć (“to engrave, dig”), Czech rýt (“to engrave, dig”). See also rit and rat.

Synonyms

inscribe scrawl scribble author pento postdisplay indicate mark show save store sit write

Antonyms

load read retrieve

This word in other languages

escribir(Español)écrire(Français)schreiben(Deutsch)escrever(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

rwite
wirte
wriet
writte
wrrite
wrtie
wwrite

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of write - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "write"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "write"?

"write" is spelled W-R-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹaɪt/.

What does "write" mean?

As a verb, "write" means: To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in order to communicate.

What words are commonly confused with "write"?

"write" is commonly confused with "wrote", "writer", "writes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "write"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "write" is /ɹaɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What is the origin of the word "write"?

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "write", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

album#1,010 speak#1,004 shall#1,003 river#1,001

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

effect7 variants eight7 variants gives7 variants sales7 variants

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.