Wright and write are commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the different meanings of the homophonic words wright and write, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences.
Wright means a builder or a maker of a certain thing, such as a wheelwright or a shipwright. Wright is an archaic term derived from the Old English word, wryhta, which means worker.
Write means to mark down coherent words on paper, usually with pen or pencil. Write also means to compose coherent text on a typewriter, computer or other machine. Write may also refer to composing a musical work. Related words are writes, wrote, writing, written, writable. Write comes from the Old English word writan meaning to score, outline, or draw the figure of.
Examples
Ekness appreciates stories about process, like a wheelwright in Deer Lodge teaching his fine-tuned method for making wooden-spoked wagon wheels. (Missoulian)
Mr. Goodale’s portraits of shipwrights at work, including Islander Ross Gannon of Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway, quietly celebrate their craftsmanship and concentration in detailed graphite drawings washed with subtle color. (Vineyard Gazette)
Eemis Stane: The new magazine giving Scots an outlet to write in their own language (The National)
Lawyers write to India’s chief judge over Hindu hate speech against Muslims (The Times)