Which to use
“well” is a verb and “wells” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,510
- “well” frequency rank
- #14,825
- “wells” frequency rank
- 31335
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | well | wells |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif présent de wellen. | Pluriel de well. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set well and wells apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: well is \vɛl\ while wells is \’wɛlz\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “well” sits inside “wells”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31335, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
well is recorded at frequency rank #16,510, classified as averb, pronounced \vɛl\. wells is at rank #14,825, tagged as anoun, pronounced \’wɛlz\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 31335, this pair ranks #304,438 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of well vs wells
Shared letters: elw. Private to "well": -. Private to "wells": s.
"well" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "wells" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "well" and "wells" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "well" or "wells"?
Remembering well vs wells
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “well”; for a noun, it's “wells”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “well” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable