# write

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɹaɪt/ · frequency rank #1,008

## Definitions
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.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **wrote** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/write-vs-wrote)
- **writer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/write-vs-writer)
- **writes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/write-vs-writes)
- **written** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/write-vs-written)
- **writers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/write-vs-writers)
- **wit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wit-vs-write)
- **Wie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wie-vs-write)
- **with** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/with-vs-write)
- **wait** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wait-vs-write)
- **wife** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wife-vs-write)
- **wide** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wide-vs-write)
- **wine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wine-vs-write)
- **wise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wise-vs-write)
- **wire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wire-vs-write)
- **wipe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wipe-vs-write)
- **wits** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wits-vs-write)
- **writ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/writ-vs-write)
- **whit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whit-vs-write)
- **Witt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/witt-vs-write)
- **wile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wile-vs-write)

## Common misspellings (7)
`rwite`, `wirte`, `wriet`, `writte`, `wrrite`, `wrtie`, `wwrite`

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