# whammy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈ(h)wæmi/ · frequency rank #38,684

## Definitions
1. a serious or devastating setback
2. an evil spell; a curse or hex
3. The vibrato system of an electric guitar, or just its lever (whammy bar)

## Etymology
From wham + -y.

## Easily confused with
- **whimsy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whammy-vs-whimsy)
- **wham** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wham-vs-whammy)

## Common misspellings (8)
`hwammy`, `wahmmy`, `whammyy`, `whamy`, `whamym`, `whhammy`, `whmamy`, `wwhammy`

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