Whish or wish?
whish is a noun meaning “A sibilant sound, especially that of rapid movement through the air”; wish is a noun meaning “A desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen”. They sound the same (/ˈwɪʃ/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) wish is about 1,445 times as common as whish.
What is the difference between whish and wish?
| whish | wish | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | interjection, noun, verb, adjective | noun, verb |
| Meaning | A sibilant sound, especially that of rapid movement through the air To make such a sound | A desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen An expression of such a desire, often connected with ideas of magic and supernatural power To desire; to want |
| Example | none recorded | It is my wish that the bequest (should) be given to an almshouse |
| Forms | whishes | wishes |
| Pronunciation | /ˈwɪʃ/ [ˈwɪʃ] /ˈʍɪʃ/ | /ˈwɪʃ/ [ˈwɪʃ] |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words | 151 times per million words |
Sources: whish and wish in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of whish and wish
whish
- 1
Alternative spelling of whisht
- 2
A sibilant sound, especially that of rapid movement through the air
- 3
To make such a sound
wish
- 1
A desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen
It is my wish that the bequest (should) be given to an almshouse
- 2
To desire; to want
I'll come tomorrow, if you wish (it)
- 3
An expression of such a desire, often connected with ideas of magic and supernatural power
make a wish
- 4
To hope (for a particular outcome), even if that outcome is unlikely to occur or cannot occur
I wish I could go back in time and teach myself what I know now
- 5
The thing desired or longed for
My dearest wish is to see them happily married
- 6
To bestow (a thought or gesture) towards (someone or something)
We wish you a merry Christmas
- 7
A water meadow
- 8
To request or desire to do an activity
Anyone who wishes to may leave now
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, whish or wish?
whish appears about once in every 10 million words; wish 151 times per million words.
whish about once in every 10 million wordswish 151 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).