whet
/ˈwɛt/verb, noun
whet is spelled W-H-E-T: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “wet vs whet” about 50 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, whet means “Of an animal such as a boar: to sharpen (its horns, teeth, tusks, etc.) by rubbing on a stone, etc., in preparation for an attack” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in whet?
| Letters | 4: W-H-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,947th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is whet?
Whet appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce whet?
- UK /ˈwɛt/
- UK [ˈwɛ(ʔ)t̚]
- US /ˈwɛt/
Whet has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-whet.wav, En-US-whet.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with whet
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: wet (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with whet?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as whet from its last stressed vowel (/ɛt/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: thew.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of whet
- whets present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- whetting participle, present
- whetted participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does whet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
archaicTo sharpen (something, such as a knife or sword) by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone; to hone.
- 2
Of an animal such as a boar: to sharpen (its horns, teeth, tusks, etc.) by rubbing on a stone, etc., in preparation for an attack.
- 3
To make more keen or to stimulate (someone's appetite, interest, etc.); to hone, to sharpen.
to whet one's appetite or one's courage
- 4
obsoleteTo encourage (someone) to do something; to incite, to urge.
- 5
obsoleteTo inculcate or teach (habits, information, etc.).
- 6
obsoleterareOf a bird: to preen (its feathers).
- 7
To make more keen; to stimulate.
- 8
To prepare for an attack.
noun
- 1
An act of sharpening something by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone.
- 2
An occasion to do something; a go, a turn.
- 3
A period of time between two sharpenings of a scythe.
- 4
An item of drink or food consumed as an appetizer or to ward off hunger until a meal; specifically, a small amount of liquor drunk as an appetizer; a dram, a nip.
- 5
A thing which makes one's desire, interest, etc., more keen; an incitement, an inducement.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Whet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | aiguiser , attiser |
| German | wetzen |
| Portuguese | afiar, amolar , aguçar, estimular |
| Spanish | afilar , estimular |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.