# whack

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈwæk/ · frequency rank #16,620

## Definitions
1. The sound of a heavy strike.
2. The strike itself.
3. The stroke itself, regardless of its successful impact.
4. An attempt, a chance, a turn, a go, originally an attempt to beat someone or something.
5. A share, a portion, especially a full share or large portion.
6. A whack-up: a division of an amount into separate whacks, a divvying up.
7. A deal, an agreement.
8. PCP, phencyclidine (as also wack).
9. The backslash, ⟨ \ ⟩.
10. Alternative spelling of wack (“annoyingly or disappointingly bad”)

## Etymology
Uncertain. Originally Scottish; probably onomatopoeic, but compare Middle English thakken, from Old English þaccian (whence Modern thwack by conflation with whack). Sense 6 of the verb is likely a semantic loan from Malay hentam (“to strike; to do something carelessly”).

## Easily confused with
- **what** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-what)
- **wick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-wick)
- **wham** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-wham)
- **which** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-which)
- **whale** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-whale)
- **wreck** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-wreck)
- **whats** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-whats)
- **wharf** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-wharf)
- **whisk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-whisk)
- **Womack** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-womack)
- **whacked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whack-vs-whacked)
- **wha** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wha-vs-whack)
- **Wac** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wac-vs-whack)
- **walk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/walk-vs-whack)
- **weak** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weak-vs-whack)
- **Waco** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/waco-vs-whack)
- **wack** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wack-vs-whack)
- **wank** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wank-vs-whack)
- **wacky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wacky-vs-whack)

## Common misspellings (8)
`hwack`, `wahck`, `whacck`, `whackk`, `whakc`, `whcak`, `whhack`, `wwhack`

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