whiskey

/ˈwɪski/

//ˈwɪski// noun

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

"whiskey" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“whiskey” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,987. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,987
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain (as rye, corn, or barley).

Corpus desk

Index EN-whiskey · whiskey · English

whiskey · rank #9,987 · 11 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,987
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH wherein

Nearest frequency peer: wherein (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “whiskey”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “whiskey” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

whiskey vs whisky
86% similar
whiskey vs whitey
71% similar
whiskey vs whisper
71% similar

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

Key facts for whiskey
PropertyValue
Headwordwhiskey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪski/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,987
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “whiskey”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).whiskeylands 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 “wherein” (#9,986), “Worms” (#9,988), “Wyoming” (#9,989). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “whiskey” is #9,987. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around whiskey (IPA /ˈwɪski/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,987 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for whiskey, with forms such as "hwiskey", "whhiskey", and "whiksey". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "whisky", "whitey", "whisper", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥der. Proto-Celtic *udenskyos Old Irish uisce Irish uisce Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós Proto-Celtic *biwos Pro… The correct English form is whiskey, spelled W-H-I-S-K-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain (as rye, corn, or barley).
  2. 2
    A drink of whiskey.
  3. 3
    Alternative letter-case form of Whiskey from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The exceſſive drinking of ſpirituous liquours, eſpecially whiſkey, is now become ſo common, that more people are killed by them, than by ſmall-pox, fevers, broken limbs, accidents, and all other diſtempers put together. And we are credibly informed, that in one dram ſhop only in this town, there are 120 gallons of that accurſed ſpirit, whiſkey, ſold.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥der. Proto-Celtic *udenskyos Old Irish uisce Irish uisce Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós Proto-Celtic *biwos Proto-Celtic *-tūts Proto-Celtic *biwotūts Old Irish bethu Irish beatha Medieval Latin aqua vītaecalq. Irish uisce beathabor. ▲ Old Irish uisce Scottish Gaelic uisge ▲ Old Irish bethu Scottish Gaelic beatha Medieval Latin aqua vītaecalq. Scottish Gaelic uisge-beathabor. English usquebaugh English usque English whiskey Variant of usque, abbreviation of usquebaugh, from Irish uisce beatha, calque of Medieval Latin aqua vītae (“water of life”). Compare akvavit, aquavit, aqua vitae, eau de vie, and water of life from the same source and vodka from a Russian diminutive for water in reference to the dilution of pure grain spirits.

This word in other languages

whisky(Español)whisky(Français)Whisky(Deutsch)uísque(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hwiskey
  • whhiskey
  • whiksey
  • whiseky
  • whiskeyy
  • whiskkey
  • whiskye
  • whisskey
  • whsikey
  • wihskey
  • wwhiskey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of whiskey - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hwiskey2whhiskey1whiksey2whiseky2whiskeyy1whiskkey1whiskye2whisskey1
Edit distance from "whiskey"

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 "whiskey"?
"whiskey" is spelled W-H-I-S-K-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪski/.
What does "whiskey" mean?
As a noun, "whiskey" means: A liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain (as rye, corn, or barley).
What words are commonly confused with "whiskey"?
"whiskey" is commonly confused with "whisky", "whitey", "whisper". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "whiskey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "whiskey" is /ˈwɪski/. 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 "whiskey"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥der. Proto-Celtic *udenskyos Old Irish uisce Irish uisce Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós Proto-Celtic ... 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 "whiskey", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wherein#9,986Wyoming#9,989variant#9,981algebra#9,994

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

attribute11 variantsaudition11 variantstractor11 variantsThomson11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list