whiskey

Name: whiskey, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈwɪski/

//ˈwɪski// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“whiskey” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,987 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,987
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 11
tracked misspellings: 7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain (as rye, corn, or barley).

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
Property	Value
Headword	whiskey
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈwɪski/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#9,987
Misspellings tracked	11
Confusable pairs	7
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “whiskey” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). whiskey lands here:

#9,987

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for whiskey is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɪski/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,987 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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.

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"?

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.

Using “whiskey”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is W-H-I-S-K-E-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈwɪski/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “whisky” - see the side-by-side comparison. whiskey vs whisky
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

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.