whisper
/ˈ(h)wɪspɚ/noun, verb
whisper is spelled W-H-I-S-P-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, whisper means “The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords; the sound thus produced” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of whisper is whispers.
How many letters and syllables are in whisper?
| Letters | 7: W-H-I-S-P-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.5 times per million words; the 10,519th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is whisper?
Whisper appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th 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 whisper?
- UK /ˈ(h)wɪspə/
- US /ˈ(h)wɪspɚ/
Whisper 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-whisper.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with whisper?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as whisper from its last stressed vowel (/ɪspəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of whisper
- whispers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- whispering participle, present
- whispered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does whisper mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords; the sound thus produced.
I spoke in a near whisper.
- 2
A rumor.
There are whispers of rebellion all around.
- 3
A faint trace or hint (of something).
The soup had just a whisper of basil.
- 4
A low rustling sound, like that of the wind in leaves.
- 5
A private message to an individual in a chat room.
- 6
A projection of intention and influence caused by sending thoughts or desires outward through softly-spoken words or subtle mental or energetic means.
verb
- 1
To speak softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration of the vocal cords which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound.
- 2
To say (something) softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter (something) without sonant breath, without that vibration of the vocal cords which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound.
- 3
To mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper.
- 4
To make a low, sibilant sound.
- 5
To speak with suspicion or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting.
- 6
obsoleteTo address in a whisper, or low voice.
- 7
obsoleteTo prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately.
- 8
To send a private message to an individual in a chat room.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Whisper in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chuchotement , chuchoter, susurrer, murmurer |
| German | Geflüster, Flüstern, Wispern , flüstern, wispern, wispeln |
| Portuguese | murmúrio, sussurro , murmurar, sussurrar, cochichar |
| Spanish | susurro, chamuyo , susurrar, chamuyar , rumor , rastro |
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 whisper come from?
From Middle English whisperen, from Old English hwisprian (“to mutter, murmur, whisper”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwisprōn, from Proto-Germanic *hwisprōną (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweys-, *ḱwey- (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).