Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell wait

hear itwait/weɪt/verbSounds

What it means: To remain inactive while expecting something.

In a sentence: Please wait for the green light before crossing the street.

The part people get wrong

Often misspelled as wate or waite.

Sounds like, but is not: weight. Same sound, different spelling and meaning.

Same family: waits, waiting, waited, waiter, waitress. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Wait” comes from Old Northern French *waiter*, meaning “to watch” or “to guard.” It is related to old words for watchmen who stayed awake at night to keep people safe.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

Spelling.School is a spaced-repetition spelling practice: ten minutes a day, every word spoken aloud, every miss explained, and every word coming back just before you would forget it. Try five words without signing up.