Wales

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˈweɪlz/ 🇺🇸 /ˈweɪlz/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A country that is part of the United Kingdom, located in the western part of the island of Great Britain, with Cardiff as its capital.; A historical principality in western Britain, conquered by England in the 13th century and formally incorporated into the Kingdom of England in 1536.; A surname of English origin.; A ridge or raised line on a surface, especially a weal or welt on the skin caused by a blow or pressure.; In shipbuilding, a thick strake of planking along the side of a wooden ship, providing structural reinforcement.; In weaving, a raised rib or cord running lengthwise in a fabric, as in corduroy or piqué.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: wales 3rd sing.: wales Past: waled Past part.: waled Pres part.: waling

Collocations

wide-wale corduroynarrow-wale corduroypinwale corduroy

Derivatives

waled

Synonyms

weltridgeraised markstriperib

Commonly confused

Wales
EN: 'Wales' is a proper noun referring to the country; 'wale' is a common noun meaning a raised ridge or welt.
whale
EN: 'Whale' is a large marine mammal; 'wale' is a ridge or raised stripe on skin or fabric.
wail
EN: 'Wail' means to cry out in grief or pain; 'wale' refers to a raised mark or ridge.

Spelling tips

EN: Do not confuse 'wale' (a ridge or welt) with 'Wales' (the country), 'whale' (the animal), or 'wail' (to cry). The homophones are a frequent source of error.

💬 Examples

  1. Wales is known for its rugged coastline, mountainous national parks, and Celtic culture.

  2. The Prince of Wales is the title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the British throne.

  3. Jimmy Wales is the co-founder of Wikipedia.

  4. The whip left angry wales across his back.

  5. The shipwright carefully fitted the wales along the hull to strengthen the vessel.

  6. The wales of the corduroy jacket were fine and closely spaced.