# whaling

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈweɪlɪŋ/ · frequency rank #20,815

## Definitions
1. The practice of hunting whales.
2. The practice of spotting whales.
3. A beating.
4. A form of highly personalized cyberattack that targets a senior business executive.

## Easily confused with
- **willing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whaling-vs-willing)
- **whining** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whaling-vs-whining)
- **whiting** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whaling-vs-whiting)
- **whoring** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whaling-vs-whoring)
- **wheeling** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whaling-vs-wheeling)
- **whirling** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whaling-vs-whirling)
- **waking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/waking-vs-whaling)
- **waving** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/waving-vs-whaling)
- **wading** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wading-vs-whaling)
- **waning** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/waning-vs-whaling)
- **waxing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/waxing-vs-whaling)
- **waring** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/waring-vs-whaling)
- **Whalen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whalen-vs-whaling)
- **walking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/walking-vs-whaling)
- **wearing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wearing-vs-whaling)
- **weaving** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weaving-vs-whaling)
- **wailing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wailing-vs-whaling)
- **welling** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/welling-vs-whaling)
- **walling** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/walling-vs-whaling)
- **whacking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whacking-vs-whaling)

## Common misspellings (11)
`hwaling`, `wahling`, `whailng`, `whalign`, `whalingg`, `whalinng`, `whalling`, `whalnig`, `whhaling`, `whlaing`, `wwhaling`

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