Difference between Week and Weak

Key Difference: The words, week and weak are homonyms, i.e. words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings. A week refers to a period of seven days, usually starting from on Sunday all the way to Saturday. Weak is used to describe something or someone who lacks the strength to accomplish something or to complete a given task.

Languages are hard. Not only can they be quite troublesome for new learners, they often confuse native speakers as well. One thing that does not help make languages easy is homonyms. Homonyms are words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings. The words, week and weak are two such words. They are pronounced the same way, literally not a syllable differs, however their meanings could not be further apart.

The term ‘week’ is a noun, which means that it is used as a name for something. A week refers to a period of seven days, usually starting from on Sunday all the way to Saturday. Some people count a week as Monday to Sunday. The days of the week are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. A week is often used as a measurement of time. There are seven days in a week and four weeks in a month.

The week is often further categorized as a weekday and a weekend. There are five weekdays in a week. They are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. They are often working days, i.e. most people go to work on these days. The weekend, on the other hand, often denotes a holiday. Most people do not work on a weekend, i.e. Saturday and Sunday. However, this differs according to country and work culture.

In contrast, weak, is an adjective. It is used to describe something or someone. The term ‘weak’ denotes something or someone who lacks the strength to accomplish something or to complete a given task. ‘Weak’ is often used as an opposite to ‘strong.’ The word can be used to refer to physical strength or the strength of will. It can also be used to refer to authority that is thought to be lacking in power. Additionally, it can also be used in reference to an object or an idea.

Comparison between Week and Weak:

	Week	Weak
Definition (Oxford Dictionaries)	A period of seven days The period of seven days generally reckoned from and to midnight on Saturday night	Lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks; having little physical strength or energy Lacking power or influence
Parts of Speech	Noun	Adjective
Refers to	A period of time	Physically, emotionally, or even financially weak. It can be used about a thing, animal or person, or about an idea or argument.
Examples	Next week is a holiday. We have exams all this week. The first week of school is going to be tough. He asked a week to consider the proposition.	The government is quite weak to any long-lasting impact. He is too weak to pick up that table by himself. The medicine was too weak to have any impact. The wall is weak. It might collapse any time.