wait · weight
wait /weɪt/ vs weight /weɪt/ — homophones. Both use the diphthong /eɪ/ and end in /t/. Different spelling, different meaning, identical sound.
🔊 These two words sound EXACTLY the same
/weɪt/
Different spelling. Different meaning. Identical pronunciation.
verb — to stay until something happens — 'wait here' · 'wait for me' · 'I can't wait!'
mouth shape
diphthong /eɪ/ — mouth opens then glides to a smile — like 'say', 'day', 'gate'
wait
/weɪt/
vowel length
noun — how heavy something is — 'my weight is 70kg' · 'dead weight' · 'lose weight'
mouth shape
identical to wait — /weɪt/ — these two words are perfect homophones
weight
/weɪt/
vowel length
Spelling spotlight
wait
spelled with AI
rain · sail · mail · paid
weight
spelled with EIGH
eight · freight · neighbour · sleigh
Both spellings represent the same diphthong /eɪ/. The GH in weight is completely silent.
Key difference
There is no pronunciation difference — both are /weɪt/.wait is the verb (to stay until something happens); weight is the noun (how heavy something is). Note: in weight, the letters gh are completely silent.
Example sentences
wait:“Can you wait outside for five minutes?”
wait:“I waited an hour for the bus.”
weight:“The doctor asked me about my weight.”
weight:“She lost a lot of weight this year.”
Hear it in a sentence
“You'll have to wait at least forty minutes for a table.”
“She tracked her weight every Monday morning as part of the programme.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
wait
Hear native speakers say “wait” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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weight
Hear native speakers say “weight” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
wait family ▸
weight family ▸
Related pairs
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