whimsy

/ˈwɪmzi/

//ˈwɪmzi// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"whimsy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“whimsy” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,419. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,419
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A quaint and fanciful idea; a whim; playfully odd behaviour.

Corpus desk

Index EN-whimsy · whimsy · English

whimsy · rank #47,419 · 10 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,419
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Westbury

Nearest frequency peer: Westbury (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “whimsy”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “whimsy” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

whimsy vs whisk
67% similar
whimsy vs whiny
67% similar
whimsy vs wimpy
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for whimsy
PropertyValue
Headwordwhimsy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪmzi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#47,419
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “whimsy” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).whimsylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Westbury” (#47,418), “Whitcomb” (#47,420), “Wicca” (#47,421). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around whimsy (IPA /ˈwɪmzi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #47,419 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for whimsy, with forms such as "hwimsy", "whhimsy", and "whimmsy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "whisk", "whiny", "wimpy", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from whims + -y. Related to whim-wham, whim. The correct English form is whimsy, spelled W-H-I-M-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A quaint and fanciful idea; a whim; playfully odd behaviour.
  2. 2
    An impulsive, illogical or capricious character.
  3. 3
    A whim (capstan or vertical drum).
  4. 4
    A jigsaw puzzle piece that has been cut into a recognizable shape, as if on a whim; often the shape is representative of the theme of the image used for the puzzle.
  5. 5
    The support that protects a finished piece as it is detached from a punty.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how whimsy appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. […] Take heed of filling their [i.e., children's] heads with VVhimzies, and unprofitable Notions; for this vvill ſooner learn them to be malepert and proud, than ſober and humble.
  2. These days! where e'en th' extravagance of poetry, / Is at a loss for figures to express / Men's folly, whimsies, and inconstancy, / And by a faint description makes them less.

Etymology

Probably from whims + -y. Related to whim-wham, whim.

This word in other languages

fantaisie(Français)Laune(Deutsch)impulsivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hwimsy
  • whhimsy
  • whimmsy
  • whimssy
  • whimsyy
  • whimys
  • whismy
  • whmisy
  • wihmsy
  • wwhimsy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of whimsy - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hwimsy2whhimsy1whimmsy1whimssy1whimsyy1whimys2whismy2whmisy2
Edit distance from "whimsy"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "whimsy"?
"whimsy" is spelled W-H-I-M-S-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪmzi/.
What does "whimsy" mean?
As a noun, "whimsy" means: A quaint and fanciful idea; a whim; playfully odd behaviour.
What words are commonly confused with "whimsy"?
"whimsy" is commonly confused with "whisk", "whiny", "wimpy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "whimsy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "whimsy" is /ˈwɪmzi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "whimsy"?
Probably from whims + -y. Related to whim-wham, whim. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "whimsy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wilted#47,423vizier#47,411Vishal#47,409zander#47,434

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

villainy10 variantsVazquez10 variantsunfilled10 variantsAngelus10 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "whimsy". Here's where to go from here.

  • "whimsy" maps to 9 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "whisk". View pair
  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #47,419 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "W" letter cohort. W–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list