The Grammar Guide Spelling What is the difference between 'wold' and 'would'?

What is the difference between 'wold' and 'would'?

What is the difference between 'wold' and 'would'?

The words wold and would are often confused because they look similar. In this article, we explain the difference between them.

Would means the simple past tense and past participle of 'will,' also used to express a conditional future when used as a verb.

Wold means an unforested or deforested plain, a grassland, a moor when used as a noun.

A good way to remember the difference is Would is a verb like should and could.

Out of the two words, 'would' is the most common. It appears about 5389 times more frequently than 'wold'.



Some words in English are tricky because they don't sound like they look. This makes it easy to confuse them with other words.

Would is the past participle and simple past tense of the verb "will." It is also used to express a conditional future and to express intention.

Wold is a noun that means "an open tract of elevated land." It is more commonly used in Britain than America.

Should I use 'clothe the wold and' or 'clothe the would and'?

The correct phrase is 'clothe the wold and'. These phrases are often confused because they look similar.

Should I use 'the wold and meet' or 'the would and meet'?

The correct expression is 'the wold and meet'. These phrases are often confused because they appear similar.

Which is right 'wold and meet the' or 'would and meet the'?

The right expression is 'wold and meet the'. These phrases are often confused because they look similar.

Is the phrase 'my guards wold goe' or 'my guards would goe'?

You should use 'my guards wold goe'. These phrases are often confused because they are easy to mistype.

Which is correct 'wood and wold ,' or 'wood and would ,'?

The right phrase is 'wood and wold ,'. These phrases are often confused because they are easy to mistype.

Is the correct expression 'I would like to' or 'I wold like to'?

The right expression is 'I would like to'. These phrases are often confused because they have a similar spelling.

Should I use ', it would be' or ', it wold be'?

The correct expression is ', it would be'. These phrases are often confused because they have a similar spelling.

Is the right expression 'would have to be' or 'wold have to be'?

The correct expression is 'would have to be'. These phrases are often confused because they appear similar.

Should I use 'it would have been' or 'it wold have been'?

The right phrase is 'it would have been'. These phrases are often confused because of their similar spelling.

Is the expression 'would be able to' or 'wold be able to'?

The correct expression is 'would be able to'. These phrases are often confused because of their similar spelling.

Some synonyms of wold are: rural area, country, hilly area.

Some synonyms of would are: might, will.

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The definitions in this article were adapted from Wiktionary.

Examples of wold in a sentence

Besides, that would put him in the middle of the High Wold, with no place to go.
- A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist
Eorl fell in battle in the Wold, and the first mound was raised.
- The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien
Low grey clouds came over the Wold.
- The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien
On either side the river lieLong fields of barley and of rye,That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
- O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor
Of Daphne and the laurel bowAnd that god-feasting couple oldThat grew elm-oak amid the wold.′Twas
- The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World by Lewis Hyde

Examples of would in a sentence

She wouldn’t make either mistake again….
- Mystery Bride by B. J. Daniels
She was not the first titled lady to seek counsel in these chambers, nor would she be the last.
- Weighed in the balance by Anne Perry
I would like to have you drive me home, though, if . .
- Cropper's cabin by Jim Thompson
What can he do against this Post-Machine, for which the myth of Babel would be a pleasant farce?
- Grand Junction by Maurice G. Dantec
She buzzed the station before landing so they would meet her at the strip.
- Nothing gold can stay by Dana Stabenow

Test yourself

Choose the missing word in each question.