Ring and wring are homophones where “w” in wring is silent. The “ring” is a word that has multiple meanings depending on the context but “wring” only has a singular meaning. Wring, though it is not a complicated English word, the application of it in normal conversation is not very common.
Ring vs Wring
The main difference between ring and wring is that ring is used either to describe a circular band that is mainly made up of precious metal or the sound of a bell. On the other hand, wring is a verb that is used in a sentence to describe an act of squeezing out something or twisting an object.
When speaking of a ring, several scenarios pop up in our minds. From a man proposing his partner with a diamond ring to police trying to expose a drug ring, this word has several meanings. Ring also means to encircle or encompass an area.
When a person tries to squeeze out water just after washing clothes, that specific action is referred to as wring. Many times, we try to squeeze ketchup or any items from its package, in that case also wring can be used as a verb.
Comparison Table Between Ring and Wring
| Parameters of Comparison | Ring | Wring |
| Meaning | The meaning of the ring is different when used as a noun and when used as a verb. | Wring is a verb that refers to squeezing and twisting an object mainly to force liquid out of it. |
| Etymology | In the English language, the word “ring” has been derived from Dutch and German words. | Wring has its roots in Old English, Dutch, and Proto-Germanic words like wringhen and wringan. |
| Pronunciation | The ring has the same pronunciation as the spelling of the word. | The “w” in wring is not given much emphasis while pronouncing and hence it sounds like the pronunciation of ring. |
| Noun | As a noun, a ring is described as a piece of jewelry, a circular band that is put on a finger. | Wring is not used as a noun in the sentence. |
| Verb | As a verb, a ring is used to describe a type of sound made by a doorbell or phone. | As a verb, wring means to twist or squeeze something. |
| Example | The phone was ringing constantly for an hour. | Wring all the water from the towel and hang it. |
What is a Ring?
The application of the word ring in a sentence and what type of meaning it expresses can be explained using various examples. When one is trying to use the word ring as a piece of jewelry, then the sentence formation will be different from someone who is trying to use the same word to express the rhythmic sound of a doorbell. Several examples are given below to explain the application of the word.
- She suddenly woke up in the middle of the night when she heard the phone ringing.
- He left the engagement ring and the letter at her doorsteps.
- Diamonds rings are very mainstream when it comes to marriage proposals.
- Does the name Kate ring any bells?
- She speculated on the ring for a long time to check if it is made of pure gold.
- He rang the doorbell exactly three times.
- Police ringed the courthouse such that the felonies cannot escape.
- The reporter from Washington Herald finally exposed the head of the drug ring.
If one goes through these examples, one can understand the implementation of the word ring in various situations. It becomes easier to understand when using the word by yourself may be in an essay or a conversation.
What is Wring?
Wring is a transitive verb that can be used as wringing and wrung as well. It is used to explain squeezing or twisting something mainly to extract the liquid out of it. Wring is also used as an expression when someone tries to force some secret or truth out of someone. Though the general meaning of wring is the same, that is, twisting or squeezing, it can also be used to threaten someone (wringing any body parts). Given below are some examples to understand the application of the word in several ways.
- Her love story still wrings my heart.
- If I see you anywhere near my family, I will wring you out.
- Wring the clothes properly and they hang them on the terrace.
- The senior boys in the high school threatened some of the juniors to wring their necks.
- The policeman wrung a confession out of the culprit.
- I wrung the juice box until I squeezed the last drop of juice.
- Wring the towel gently after washing it in lukewarm water.
- She wrung the bottle so hard that it got deformed.
Main Differences Between Ring and Wring
- Ring is used as both noun and verb whereas wring is only used as a verb.
- The verb form of the ring means a sound that is normally made by a phone or a doorbell constantly whereas wring means to twist any object to force out liquid from it.
- The noun form of the ring means a piece of jewelry usually given while proposing to a partner whereas wring doesn’t have other meanings as a noun.
- Some synonyms of the ring are round, hoop, and encircle whereas some synonyms of wring/wringing are extract, twist, and press.
- Rang or rung is used for expressing the past tense of ring whereas only wrung is used for the past tense of wring.
Conclusion
Ring and wring are two words that are used in different situations implying different meanings. But they can be used in the same sentence when the ring is used as a noun and wring is used as a verb. For example, she wrung her finger very hard to squeeze out her engagement ring. One should practice regularly, especially at the school level to distinguish between the homophones. Several other pairs of homophones are very common English words. Some examples are caret and carrot, cause and caws, new and knew, air and heir, eye and I, and many more.
References
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03197027
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010027720302687