# whistle vs whittle

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### whistle
*noun · IPA /ˈwɪs(ə)l/ · frequency rank #8,626*
A device designed to be placed in the mouth and blown, or driven by steam or some other mechanism, to make a whistling sound.

### whittle
*noun · IPA /ˈwɪtəl/ · frequency rank #36,012*
A knife; especially, a clasp-knife, pocket knife, or sheath knife.

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