# whammy vs whimsy

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### whammy
*noun · IPA /ˈ(h)wæmi/ · frequency rank #38,684*
a serious or devastating setback

### whimsy
*noun · IPA /ˈwɪmzi/ · frequency rank #47,419*
A quaint and fanciful idea; a whim; playfully odd behaviour.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whammy-vs-whimsy