Is weirder a word or is it more weird

English is wierd… or is it weird? Weird vs wierd?

“I before E except after C” is something teachers tell students to help them remember the rules of spelling in English. Unfortunately, these rules only apply to certain words.

What if you’re left running a “hiest with a wierd,” “foriegn nieghbor?” Or “is it a wird neighbor?” Or “a wired nieghbor?” Yikes!

The word “weird” is one of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language, and who could blame us? It’s weird.

Weird Meaning: What Does It Mean?

You probably are familiar with using the word weird, but what does it actually mean? The word weird is most commonly used as an adjective (meaning it’s used to describe something) that means “unusual or strange.” It can also mean “suggesting something supernatural; uncanny.”

Additionally, weird can also be used as a verb (a word that shows an action). In this case, it would mean “to induce a sense of disbelief or alienation in someone.”

Using Weird in a Sentence

Using the correct spelling in a sentence depends on which definition you’re intending to get across. The most common use of the word is in reference to something out of the norm, but it can also specifically be used in reference to describing something supernatural or used as a verb. Here are some examples of each:

Examples:

• You might say you had a weird experience late one night that caused you to question your disbelief in UFOs.
• The weird lights in the sky weirded you out.
• The fact that your mom let you stay up late instead of keeping your normally strict bedtime was weird.
• The atmosphere on Halloween night was weird and made the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
• The weird spider was brightly colored, built a triangle-shaped web, and seemed to dance to the beat of the nearby music.

Weird vs Wierd: How to Spell Weird?

The correct spelling is “weird” which breaks the I before E rule.

If you’re wondering how or why weird breaks the I before E “rule” that most English words follow, it’s because the word has an interesting origin.

If you trace the use of the word weird back through history and literature, you’ll actually find it comes from the Old English word “wyrd.” Old English was used in Europe up until the 12th century. The word “wyrd” meant “fate, chance, or fortune.”

This was before the invention of the printing press so anyone wanting to write out this word had to do it by hand. This resulted in a variety of spellings and over time the word evolved.

Eventually, wyrd shifted to the modern spelling, weird, by the 15th century.

As the spelling shifted, so did its meaning, which is why there are a couple of slight variations of its meaning. The older definition relates to the supernatural and is the one most closely tied to the definition from centuries ago.

Trick to Remembering the Spelling

If you’re confused by spelling weird, you’re not alone. Many people can remember the helpful rhyme “i before e except after c” but don’t always remember which words don’t follow that helpful rule. Common misspellings of weird include “wierd,” “wired,” “wird,” or “weard.”

Here are some helpful tricks to remember how to spell the word weird.

1. Weird is a weird word. It doesn’t follow the “rule” – because it’s weird! As long as you can remember the definition of the word, you can remember that the way to spell it goes right along with the definition of it being unusual.
2. Spell check! Most word processing software catches wierd and flags it for you by underlining it.
3. Search it up. When it doubt, put it through a quick internet search check.
4. Memorize it. Sometimes you just can’t beat good, old rote memorization.
5. Forget the rhyme. A study done in 1932 by Leonard B. Wheat concluded that of the 128 common words containing the vowels “e” and “i” only 65% of them followed the “i before e except after c” rule. He recommended changing it to “i usually comes before e” and using it more as a helpful spelling guide than a “rule.”
6. Break it down phonetically. If you sound out the word, it’s spelled the way you pronounce it if you say it as a two syllable word. We ird. Weird.

Final Thoughts: Weird or Wierd?

If you’ve ever paused and wondered if you should write weird or “wierd,” you’re not alone. The correct spelling is “e” before “I,” despite its contradiction to the “rule” you may have been taught as a kid. Weird is a weird word and has an unusual spelling.

EnchantedLearning.com Grammar

Is weirder a proper word?

They are both correct. The adjective ‘weird’ has a comparative form, weirder, but it may also be used with more.

Is more strange correct?

The comparative form of strange; more strange.

Is weirder in the dictionary?

adj. 1. involving or suggesting the supernatural; unearthly or uncanny: a weird sound.

Is it most weird or weirdest?

The superlative form of weird; most weird.

What is the comparative of weird?

Weirder

Is worser a word?

The Collins English Dictionary defines ‘worser‘ as an archaic or nonstandard word for ‘worse‘. … ‘ The word ‘worser‘ is now found only in some regional dialects, and is considered non-standard.

What is the comparative form of carefully?

more carefully efficiently

Is it more pretty or prettier?

The comparative of a two syllable noun ending in y is formed by replacing the final -y with -ier. So prettier is correct. More pretty is incorrect.

Can you say more bigger?

“Much bigger” is fine. “More bigger” is considered incorrect in standard English. … In English, this is considered incorrect. More is used for word forms that do not change from their adjective to comparative forms.

What is good better best?

Finally, there are three very common adjectives that have very irregular comparative and superlative forms. They are good > better > best, bad > worse > worst and far > further > furthest: His laptop is better than mine.

Is good better than well?

Good modifies a noun; something can be or seem good. … All you need to remember when you are pondering whether good or well is best for your sentence is that good modifies a person, place, or thing, whereas well modifies an action. If you’re having a good day, then your day is going well. Did you do good on your exams?

Is good better than better?

What does ‘better than good‘ mean? Well, you know we say something is good if it’s positive, either in a particular situation or generally speaking; “better” is the comparative form of “good” as well.

Which is better of the two?

“better of two” is correct. Read the following explanation to understand the answer. good / better / best are adjectives of comparison. … Adjective of Comparative degree (better) is used to show the comparison between two persons or things.

How do you say something is better than something else?

Synonyms

1. surpass. verb. to be better or greater than something else.
2. outdo. verb. to be better than someone else at doing something.
3. rise above. phrasal verb. to be better than other things of the same type.
4. beat. verb. …
5. outshine. verb. …
6. overtake. verb. …
7. be more than a match for someone. phrase. …
8. be in a class of your/its own. phrase.

What is the difference between weird and wierd?

By: Sierra Teacher from AmazingTalker

Today, I will teach you the difference between weird and wierd.

Weird means something is strange or odd.

So, what is the difference between weird and wierd? Let’s look at the spelling! Weird is the correct spelling. Wierd, on the other hand, is NOT the correct spelling.

Let’s look at a dialogue below.

Dialogue

Two friends, Melissa and Anja, are talking.

Anja: My English teacher wants us to learn 20 vocabulary words for our test Thursday. She said that we will make sentences using these words. I’m always having trouble with some of the spelling.

Melissa: Which ones are you having trouble with?

Anja: I’ll give one example.  I’m having trouble with this word. (writing it down) Is this how to spell wierd?

Melissa: Are you trying to spell “weird”?

Anja: Yes.

Melissa: You spell “weird” like this. (writing it down) This is how to spell “weird”.

Anja: Oh! I keep getting confused where to put the “e” and the “i”.

Melissa: So that you can remember easily, the “e” will come before the «i». So, without looking at the paper, spell “weird” out loud.

Anja: Let’s see. The “e” comes before the “i”. Okay. (spelling “weird” out loud).

Melissa: That’s it! Now, write the word down.

Anja: Okay. (then writes it down) I wrote down “weird”.

Melissa: That’s it! Just remember that in the word “weird”, the “e” will come before the «i». When you remember that, you will always spell “weird” correctly!

Anja: I will remember that! Thank you so much!

In a previous post I discussed how two words may have the same meaning, but may not be used in the same context. In order to choose the correct word, it is very important that we understand both the denotation (the precise meaning) and the connotation (the emotional overtones) of the word. Not understanding these, results in the misuse of words. One of the most misused pair of words is strange and weird. Many people take them to mean the same thing and very often use one word for the other. True, their meanings are similar, but their connotations are very different. Let’s look into their meanings and synonyms first.

Strange –

Meaning: unfamiliar, unusual, something differing from the normal.

Synonyms: peculiar, odd, eccentric, queer, quaint.

Weird –

Meaning: of or relating to the supernatural, inspiring inexplicable fear or dread.

Synonyms: eerie, unearthly, uncanny, creepy.

Now it’s very easy for someone to look at these meanings and synonyms and say, “But they are the same”. Yes, by the look of them, they are the same. But if you look at their connotations, they are very different.

Let’s take the example of Charles Dickens’ words – “The person of the house gave a weird little laugh”. Here Dickens means there was something creepy, something eerie in the laugh that inspired a feeling of uneasiness. He could have said “….strange little laugh”, but that wouldn’t have evoked the same feeling of eeriness or given the same inexplicable dread or fear as the word weird has.

So, what does this mean? This means that the word strange is a light word which means something uncommon or odd. It has a positive connotation. Whereas weird is a strong word with negative connotations. Weird induces a sense of disbelief or alienation in someone. This is why one must be very careful when choosing between the words strange and weird – Use strange when you mean odd or uncommon; and weird when you mean eerie, or want to evoke a sense of inexplicable fear.

What do you think – was this post strange or weird?

Filed under: Words | Tagged: Advice, linkedin, tips, Words, writing |

Прилагательные strange, weird, odd переводятся как «странный», «чудной». Их значения схожи, но есть небольшие отличия. В этой статье мы объясним разницу между этими словами, приведем примеры и рассмотрим еще нескольких их синонимов.

Strange, weird, bizarre и odd

Прилагательное strange переводится как «странный» или «непредсказуемый».

Sometimes he has very strange ideas about his career. — Иногда у него появляются очень странные идеи насчет своей карьеры.

Еще одно распространенное значение strange — «незнакомый».

Hasn’t your mom taught you that you should never speak to strange men? — Тебя мама не научила, что не следует разговаривать с незнакомцами?

To feel strange означает, что вы растеряны или чувствуете себя странно, не понимая, что происходит.

I know that she feels strange in a large group of people, but it’s her job to be in public. — Я знаю, что в большой компании людей она чувствует себя растерянно, но быть на публике — ее работа.

Запомните одно из самых распространенных устойчивых выражений со словом strange — for some strange reason (по неизвестной причине).

For some strange reason, he didn’t reply to my message. — По неизвестной причине он не ответил на мое сообщение.

Weird — очень странный, непредсказуемый или неестественный. Основное отличие weird от strange в том, что weird — прилагательное с негативной окраской.

The table was covered with weird and disgusting dishes. — Стол был накрыт странными и отвратительными блюдами.

Слово bizarre переводится как «очень странный» или «отличающийся от того, что принято считать нормой».

His behavior during the party was bizarre. — Его поведение на вечеринке было странным.

Слово odd означает «необычный, но вызывающий интерес».

Jack and his girlfriend are an odd couple. — Джек и его девушка — необычная пара.

В таблице ниже приведены популярные выражения со словом odd.

Extraordinary и peculiar

Extraordinary — очень необычный и неожиданный.

The ending of the novel is extraordinary. — Финал романа очень неожиданный.

Также прилагательное extraordinary можно перевести как «выдающийся» или «специфичный» (как в положительном, так и в отрицательном контексте).

The courage of the firefighter was extraordinary. — Храбрость пожарного была выдающейся.

Peculiar — необычный, странный, забавный.

What a peculiar taste this dish has! — Какой необычный вкус у этого блюда!
Stella’s really nice but her husband’s rather peculiar. — Стелла очень милая, а вот ее муж весьма странный.

В таблице приведены устойчивые выражения со словом peculiar.

Unusual и uncommon

Unusual — необычный, странный.

I found myself in a very unusual situation. — Я оказался в очень необычной ситуации.

Другие значения слова unusual — «необыкновенный», «производящий глубокое впечатление».

Roger Federer is a tennis player of unusual talent. — Роджер Федерер — теннисист с необыкновенным талантом.

Uncommon — редко встречающийся, нераспространенный.

His name is very uncommon nowadays. — Его имя очень редко встречается в наше время.

Надеемся, что теперь вам понятна разница между strange, weird, uncommon, unusual, odd и peculiar.

Мы составили небольшой тест, чтобы вы смогли закрепить изученный материал.