A Playwright Does Not Write, Etymologically
A wright is a maker. Playwright is spelled with -wright because it means a maker of plays, not a writer of them.
A wright is a maker or builder. This explains the spelling that catches everyone out: a *playwright* is not a play-writer but a play-maker, like a *wheelwright* or a *shipwright*, and the word has nothing to do with *write*. Wright itself is a rearranged form of *work*, and it survives mainly in trade names and surnames.
- A maker or builder. *A wheelwright.*
- Playwright — a maker of plays. *A young playwright.*
- Shipwright — a builder of ships. *The shipwright's yard.*
- Wainwright — a maker of wagons. *The village wainwright.*
- Millwright — a builder of mills and machinery. *A skilled millwright.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | wright | A country wright. |
| Compound | playwright | A prolific playwright. |
| Compound | shipwright | A master shipwright. |
| Old English | wyrhta | A worker. |
| Related | work | Skilled work. |
- The playwright attended the first night.Theatre.
- A shipwright repaired the hull.Trade.
- Playwright is not spelled playwrite.A very common error.
Wright as a surname
- Wright — one of the commonest English surnames, from the trade
- Cartwright — a maker of carts
- Wainwright — a maker of wagons
- Arkwright — a maker of chests, or arks
- Sievewright and Plowright — rarer survivals of the same pattern
Old English *wyrhta*, a worker or maker, a metathesised form of the root behind *work*. The compound *playwright* is recorded from the 1600s.
Why is it playwright and not playwriter?
Because a wright is a maker. A playwright constructs a play, in the same way a wheelwright constructs a wheel.
Are wright and write related?
No. Wright comes from work; write comes from an Old English verb meaning to scratch or carve.