“Weak” or “Week”—Which to use?

“Weak” or “Week”

Overview

weak / week are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇

Definitions

weak: (adjective) wanting in physical strength. (adjective) tending downward in price. (adjective) deficient or lacking in some skill. (adjective) (used of verbs) having standard (or regular) inflection. (adjective) not having authority, political strength, or governing power. (adjective) likely to fail under stress or pressure. (adjective) deficient in intelligence or mental power.

week: (noun) any period of seven consecutive days. (noun) a period of seven consecutive days starting on Sunday.

Pronunciation

weak: w·IY·k

week: w·IY·k

Trends

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Examples in Context

Examples of “weak”

He was also called a "weak dog" by 's Mark Johnson…
…from Spain while it was weak, and gain independence, and so…
…destroys Madkat by hitting his weak spot, Ringtail's sanity and career…
…Me When I'm Down" had weak lyrics.
…if he bought out the weak refiners first, he'd generate opposition…
They are marked by rounded, weak, axial ribs of which eight…
Those with weak prior attitudes, however, were affected.
…feathers were too thin and weak to have remained rigid during…
The weak left (Bruhat) order is defined…
…2018, Dr. Peters fears a weak aftermarket and is considering scrapping…

Examples of “week”

…Conan O'Brien and on Shark Week.
…was chosen "Pick of the Week" on BBC radio.
Each week contestants were put to the…
…quarter per game every other week, until starting quarterback Gibran Hamdan…
…downtrodden Kansas State the previous week, as the Cornhuskers actually fell…
…the flat performance of the week before, and was firing on…
In the following three weeks the film grossed $19 million,…
…in three games during the week, highlighted by a league-high 25-rebound
…Noticiero Univision seven nights a week (and was the only nightly…
…Meet the Press, ABC's This Week, CBS' Face the Nation, Fox's…

(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)

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