# whiskey

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈwɪski/ · frequency rank #9,987

## Definitions
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.

## Easily confused with
- **whisky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whiskey-vs-whisky)
- **whitey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whiskey-vs-whitey)
- **whisper** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whiskey-vs-whisper)
- **Whitney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whiskey-vs-whitney)
- **Whitley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whiskey-vs-whitley)
- **whisk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whisk-vs-whiskey)
- **whisker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whisker-vs-whiskey)

## Common misspellings (11)
`hwiskey`, `whhiskey`, `whiksey`, `whiseky`, `whiskeyy`, `whiskkey`, `whiskye`, `whisskey`, `whsikey`, `wihskey`, `wwhiskey`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/whiskey