Resources
Lecciones de gramáticaLecturasEjercicios de listeningFlash cardsFalsos amigos¿Cuál usar?SufijosPrefijosDiscover your levelBlogWritevsRight
One is the verb for putting words on paper; the other means correct, a direction, or a moral claim.
Side-by-side comparison
"Write" is to put words or symbols on paper or a screen, or to compose text. "Write an email" = compose an email. Irregular: write, wrote, written.
I need to write a report by Friday.
Write your name at the top of the exam paper.
She has always wanted to write a novel.
"Right" can be an adjective (correct), noun (an entitlement), adverb (exactly, or to the right side), or direction. "That's right" = correct. "Human rights" = freedoms everyone is entitled to.
That's the right answer. Well done!
Turn right at the traffic lights.
Everyone has the right to a fair trial.
Common mistake
- •Writing error: "I need to right an email" (correct: write an email).
- •Or the reverse: "That's the write answer" (correct: right answer).
Trick to remember it
"Write" starts with W for Words, if you are producing words, use "write." "Right" starts with R for Correct (and also for Rights, something you respect or legally have).
Quick rule
Are you producing text or words? "Write." Is it correct, a direction, or a legal claim? "Right."
Did you know?
English has three words that sound exactly alike: WRITE (to compose), RIGHT (correct/rightward/entitlement), and RITE (a ceremony or ritual). All three are perfect homophones. The W in WRITE has been silent since at least the 17th century, before that it was pronounced "hw-rite." The W is also silent in the entire WR- family: WRAP, WRIST, WRONG, WRECK, WRESTLE, WREN (a bird). This silent W is a pronunciation fossil from Old English and Germanic, where "wr-" combinations were pronounced with both letters articulated. The process of losing the W before R happened gradually between the 15th and 17th centuries.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She loves to _____ short stories in her spare time.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Turn _____ at the end of the road and the supermarket is on your left.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy