Worth is the value or importance of something. When you ask how much a baseball card is worth, you're asking what someone would pay for it. When you talk about the worth of a friendship, you mean how much it matters to you.

Worth can be measured in money: a rare coin might be worth thousands of dollars, while a common penny is worth just one cent. But worth also describes value that has nothing to do with money. A kind teacher's advice might be worth more than gold to a struggling student. Your dog's loyalty has worth that no amount of money could measure.

The word appears in many useful phrases. When something is worth doing, it deserves your time and effort, like practicing the piano even when it's hard because the reward of making music is worth it. When you give something your all, you can say you gave it everything you're worth. And when someone proves their value through their actions, they show their true worth.

People sometimes confuse worth with worthy. While worth describes the value itself, worthy means deserving of something: a worthy opponent, a cause worthy of support. Both words remind us that value comes from what something truly is, not just what it costs.