whimsy
/ˈwɪmzi/noun, verb, adjective
whimsy is spelled W-H-I-M-S-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, whimsy means “A quaint and fanciful idea; a whim; playfully odd behaviour” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of whimsy is whimsies.
How many letters and syllables are in whimsy?
| Letters | 6: W-H-I-M-S-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,073rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is whimsy?
Whimsy appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd 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 whimsy?
- /ˈwɪmzi/
- /ˈʍɪmzi/
Whimsy has 2 syllables (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: En-us-whimsy.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-whimsy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of whimsy
- whimsies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- whimsey
- whimsying participle, present
- whimsied participle, past
- whimsier comparative
- whimsiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does whimsy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A quaint and fanciful idea; a whim; playfully odd behaviour.
- 2
An impulsive, illogical or capricious character.
- 3
A whim (capstan or vertical drum).
- 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
The support that protects a finished piece as it is detached from a punty.
verb
- 1
To fill with whimsies or whims; to make fantastic; to craze.
adjective
- 1
Synonym of whimsical.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Whimsy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fantaisie , facétieux |
| German | Laune, Grille, Schrulle, Marotte, Klamauk , Launigkeit |
| Portuguese | capricho , impulsivo |
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.
Where does whimsy come from?
Probably from whims + -y. Related to whim-wham, whim.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).