Write down meaning
Write down means to write something on paper so you do not forget it.
write something down
write down · wrote · written · writing
Can you write down your phone number for me?
Write down meanings and examples
One meaning, each with its own CEFR level from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries and the Cambridge Dictionary.
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1
Write something on paper so you do not forget it
write something down
- Can you write down your phone number for me?
- I wrote the address down on my hand.
- If you don’t write it down, you’ll forget it.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use write down in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is write down separable?
Write down is separable: write down the word, write the word down. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: write it down, not write down it.
Write down stresses keeping a record so you remember. For emails, essays and letters, just use write. Note down and jot down mean the same and are quick.
Verb tenses for write down
| Present | I write down · she writes down |
|---|---|
| Past | wrote down |
| Present perfect | have written down |
| -ing form | writing down |
Common mistakes with write down
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: That’s a good idea. Let me write down it.
Right: That’s a good idea. Let me write it down.
A pronoun goes between write and down.
Wrong: I wrote down an email to my teacher.
Right: I wrote an email to my teacher.
For emails and letters, just use write.
Wrong: I have wrote it down somewhere.
Right: I have written it down somewhere.
The past participle is written.
Synonyms and opposites of write down
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- note downwrite something short so you remember it
- jot downwrite something quickly, often a short note
- take downwrite what someone is saying
Opposite
- cross outdraw a line through something you wrote
- rub outUK; remove pencil marks (US: erase)
Write down quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1I’ll forget the name. Can you ___ for me?
Write down means write something so you remember it.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes between write and down.
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3A teacher says, “Write down the new words in your notebook.” What should you do?
Write down means put words on paper to keep them.
More phrasal verbs with write
2 phrasal verbs start with write. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Write down FAQ
Questions people ask about write down.
Write vs write down: what is the difference?
Write is general: write a story, write an email. Write down means write something short so you keep or remember it: write down a number.
What is the past tense of write down?
Wrote down, and the participle is written down: I’ve written it down.
Is write down formal?
No, it is everyday English. In forms, you may see enter or record instead.
Use write down in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.