Wright

How to spell wright

6 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce wright

What does wright mean?

1. nounA person who builds, makes, or repairs something, especially as a skilled tradesperson.

Wright in a sentence

• In the Middle Ages a wright was any craftsman who built things, from carts to ships.

• A skilled wright once crafted the wheels, carts, and barrels for the whole village.

Where does wright come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is one of the oldest words in English, descending directly from the Old English wyrhta or wryhta, which simply meant a worker, a craftsman, or a maker of things. It is closely related to the verb 'work', and over many centuries the metathesis (the swapping of sounds) turned wyrhta into the modern form wright. Although it can stand alone meaning a builder or craftsman, it survives most vividly as the second half of trade names such as wheelwright, cartwright, shipwright, and playwright, each naming someone who fashions a particular thing. The surname Wright became extremely common precisely because so many people once earned their living by such crafts. The spelling trap is severe because wright sounds identical to 'right', 'write', and 'rite', yet none of those share its meaning of a maker, and the silent 'g' and 'h' are inherited from the same Old English cluster seen in 'night' and 'light'.

How the word is built

• wright (from Old English wyrhta: a worker or maker)

Words that sound like wright

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• right: Correct or true; the side or direction opposite to left; a moral or legal entitlement.
• rite: A formal act or ceremony, especially a religious or solemn one performed according to fixed custom.
• write: To form letters, words, or text on a surface, or to compose a piece of writing.