Write

How to spell write

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce write

What does write mean?

1. verbTo form letters, words, or text on a surface, or to compose a piece of writing.

Write in a sentence

• Please write your name clearly.

• I'd like to write a letter to my grandmother.

• Authors typically write many drafts.

• Don't forget to write to me whilst you're away.

• Can you write your address here?

Where does write come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word comes from the Old English verb writan, which originally meant 'to scratch, draw, or carve an outline'. That sense reflects how early Germanic peoples recorded letters: by scoring marks into wood, bark, or stone, which is why the runic alphabet feels so angular. Related forms appear across the Germanic family, including Old Norse rita and Old High German rizan, all carrying the idea of cutting or scoring a surface. As writing on parchment with ink replaced carving, the meaning softened from 'scratch' to the modern 'set down words'. The silent initial 'w' is a fossil of an old 'wr-' cluster that was once fully pronounced, the same cluster preserved in 'wrist', 'wrong', and 'wrap', and it is precisely that mute 'w' that makes the word so easy to confuse with its homophone 'right'.

How the word is built

• writ- (Old English writan: to scratch, draw, inscribe)
• -e

Words that sound like write

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.
• wright: A person who builds, makes, or repairs something, especially as a skilled tradesperson.