Word Confusion: Ringer versus Wringer

Revised as of 10 April 2021

This heterographic confusion just makes me want to ring someone’s neck—possibly with a gold necklace. Or, should I use silver? No—leather!!

On the other hand, wringing someone’s neck could put paid to their existence. And, one should never visit harm upon another. Ahem.

You may also want to explore “Rung versus Wrung“.

Word Confusions…

…started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.

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Ringer	Wringer
Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com; Merriam-Webster: ringer
The Royal Navy During the Second World War by Royal Navy official photographer, Zimmerman, E A (Lt) is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — A Russian ringer sounding the bell of the Archangelsk, the former HMS Royal Sovereign.	Clothes Wringer Ad From 1903 by DragonflySixtyseven is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — This clothes wringer sold for $1.50 in 1903.
Part of Grammar:
Noun 1, 2 Plural: ringers	Noun Plural: wringers
[Informal] An athlete or horse fraudulently substituted for another in a competition or event A person’s or thing’s double, especially an impostor A person who is highly proficient at a particular skill or sport and is brought in to supplement a team or group of people One that enters a competition under false representations One that strongly resembles another, often used with dead A person or device that rings something In certain games, a tossed object that encircles its intended target 2 A tossed horseshoe that encircles the stake A tossed quoit that encircles the peg A game of marbles in which the target marbles are placed in the center of a circular area	Device for squeezing or twisting water from wet clothes, mops, or other objects, like necks Something that causes pain, hardship, or exertion
Examples:
They brought in a ringer. He’s a ringer for that actor Tom Hanks. League eligibility rules had grown flexible to accommodate new teams, and ringers began suiting up. He’s a dead ringer for the senator. The bell ringers are scheduled to ring a peal for the New Year’s.	I remember my grandmother’s washing machine had a wringer attachment. They really put him through the wringer! I’d like to wring his neck! His illness put his family through the wringer.
History of the Word:
The first known use was in the 15th century. The first known use was in 1863.	The first known use was in the 14th century.

C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them…and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Pinterest Photo Credits

Ron Bellamy’s Bell Tree, <https://visualhunt.com/f2/photo/14803847757/930e6a3bb9/>, is courtesy of Landis Valley Village, <https://visualhunt.com/author/c2eafd>, under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via VisualHunt. Advertising Antiques by Bill Smith is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.