How Do You Spell Weight?

You spell "weight" with six letters: W-E-I-G-H-T. Remember the saying: "Weight rhymes with eight.

❌ She struggled to lift the heavy wieght during her strength training session at the gym.

✅ She struggled to lift the heavy weight during her strength training session at the gym.

What is the definition of weight?

Weight

1. (noun)

a. Physics. The force that gravitation exerts upon a body.

"On the moon, your weight would be only about one-sixth of your weight on Earth."

b. A unit of weight or mass.

"The price of apples is listed per pound weight."

c. A piece of material (such as metal) of known specified weight for use in weighing articles.

"The shopkeeper adjusted the scales with a small weight."

2. (noun)

a. Something heavy; a load.

"He lifted the weight onto his shoulders with a grimace."

b. A burden, pressure.

"The weight of their expectations weighed heavily on her."

3. (noun)

a. The relative importance or authority accorded something.

"The senator's words carried great weight in the debate."

4. (verb)

a. To find the heaviness of; to determine the weight of something.

"She weighed the apples on the scale."

b. To have a certain amount of heaviness or a certain weight.

"The suitcase weighs about 20 pounds."

5. (verb)

a. To consider carefully; to ponder.

"She weighed her options before making a decision."

b. To be important; to count.

"His opinion will weigh heavily in the final decision."

Origin: Middle English weiht(e), from Old English wæg;* related to Dutch wicht, German Gewicht.

Synonyms: heaviness, mass, bulk, quantity, importance, influence, force, burden, pressure, responsibility

Antonyms: lightness, airiness, insubstantiality, insignificance, irrelevance, freedom, ease

How do we pronounce weight?

In American English, "weight" is pronounced wayt.

In British English, "weight" is pronounced wayt. The way in British English is more elongated.

Additional notes:
These are just the standard pronunciations, and there may be slight variations depending on regional accents and individual speech patterns.

Why is weight misspelled?

The culprit? Those sneaky "ei"s! In English, the "ei" combination often throws us a curveball. Just think of "their" versus "there," "vein" versus "vain," and the ever-confusing "ceiling." "Weight" joins this bunch.

Remember these helpful tips:

Think of the rhyme: "Weight" rhymes with "eight."
Break it down: "W-E-I-G-H-T," six clear letters.
Visualize: Picture a scale, with equal weights on each side.

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Bonus points

• The "ei" in "weight" comes from Old English "wæg," which also gave us the modern word "wain" (a type of cart).

If we examine the graph below, we can see that the word "weight" has been used consistently over the years. However, people have used the word "weight" in decreasing numbers since the 1960s.

How is weight calculated?

Weight is calculated by multiplying an object's mass by the acceleration due to gravity. The formula for weight (W) is given by W = m * g, where "m" is the mass of the object, and "g" is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 meters per second squared on Earth).

How is weight different from mass?

Weight:

What it is: The force exerted on an object due to gravity. It's how much the Earth (or any other body with gravity) pulls on that object.
Changes with location: Your weight can vary depending on the strength of gravity. You'd weigh less on the moon (1/6 your Earth weight) and more on Jupiter (2.5 times your Earth weight).
Units: Measured in Newtons (N) on Earth, but sometimes people mistakenly use kilograms, which is technically incorrect.
Think of it as: The pressure the cake puts on the baking pan due to gravity. This pressure (your weight) changes depending on the pan's position (location).

Mass:

What it is: The amount of matter in an object. It's a measure of how much "stuff" an object is made of, essentially its intrinsic property.
Doesn't change: Your mass stays the same no matter where you are in the universe, whether on Earth, the moon, or even floating in space.
Units: Measured in kilograms (kg) or grams (g)
Think of it as: The amount of ingredients in a cake recipe. No matter where you bake it, the recipe (your mass) stays the same.

Here's a table to summarize the key differences:

Feature	Mass	Weight
Definition	Amount of matter	Force due to gravity
Changes with location	No	Yes
Units	Kilograms (kg)	Newtons (N)
Analogy	Ingredients in a recipe	Pressure on a baking pan

What is the meaning of "by weight?"

"By weight" refers to a method of measurement or pricing based on the mass of an item rather than its volume or count. Whether purchasing bulk goods or commodities, the cost is determined by the actual weight of the product, providing a fair and accurate valuation.

For example...

The farmer sold his fresh produce by weight at the local market, ensuring customers could choose the quantity they desired while paying for the exact amount they selected.

In the given sentence, "by weight" indicates the method of selling the farmer's fresh produce at the local market. The pricing is determined based on the mass of the produce, allowing customers to choose the quantity they want and pay accordingly for the exact weight they select.

Common phrases/idioms with the word weight

Pull your weight: To do your fair share of work or effort in a group.
Carry the weight: To take on a heavy responsibility or burden.
Throw your weight around: To use one's power or influence in an intimidating way.
Not worth one's weight in salt: To be useless or of little value.

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