whisper

/ˈ(h)wɪspə/

//ˈ(h)wɪspə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“whisper” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,637. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,637
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords.

Corpus desk

Index EN-whisper · whisper · English

whisper · rank #10,637 · 11 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,637
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH whereby

Nearest frequency peer: whereby (-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 “whisper”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “whisper” 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).

whisper vs wiser
71% similar
whisper vs wiper
71% similar
whisper vs whopper
71% similar

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

Key facts for whisper
PropertyValue
Headwordwhisper
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈ(h)wɪspə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#10,637
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “whisper”

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “whereby” (#10,636), “worthwhile” (#10,638), “violin” (#10,634). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “whisper” is #10,637. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around whisper (IPA /ˈ(h)wɪspə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,637 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for whisper, with forms such as "hwisper", "whhisper", and "whipser". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "wiser", "wiper", "whopper", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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”… The correct English form is whisper, spelled W-H-I-S-P-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords.
  2. 2
    A rumor.
  3. 3
    A faint trace or hint (of something).
  4. 4
    A low rustling sound, like that of the wind in leaves.
  5. 5
    A private message to an individual in a chat room.
  6. 6
    A projection of intention and influence caused by sending thoughts or desires outward through softly-spoken words or subtle mental or energetic means.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I spoke in a near whisper.
  2. "Now, look here, Jim Hawkins," he said, in a steady whisper, that was no more than audible.

Etymology

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”). Cognate with Dutch wisperen (“to whisper”), German wispern (“to mumble, whisper”). Related also to Danish hviske (“to whisper”), Icelandic hvískra (“to whisper”), Norwegian Bokmål hviske, kviskre (“to whisper”), Norwegian Nynorsk kviskre, kviskra (“to whisper”), Swedish viska (“to whisper”). More at English whistle.

This word in other languages

susurro(Español)chuchotement(Français)Geflüster(Deutsch)murmúrio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hwisper
  • whhisper
  • whipser
  • whisepr
  • whisperr
  • whispper
  • whispre
  • whissper
  • whsiper
  • wihsper
  • wwhisper

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of whisper - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hwisper2whhisper1whipser2whisepr2whisperr1whispper1whispre2whissper1
Edit distance from "whisper"

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 "whisper"?
"whisper" is spelled W-H-I-S-P-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈ(h)wɪspə/.
What does "whisper" mean?
As a noun, "whisper" means: The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords.
What words are commonly confused with "whisper"?
"whisper" is commonly confused with "wiser", "wiper", "whopper". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "whisper"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "whisper" is /ˈ(h)wɪspə/. 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 "whisper"?
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... 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 "whisper", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

whereby#10,636upright#10,630thirsty#10,623thereof#10,622

Similar misspelling depth

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

Clayton11 variantsEmirates11 variantseventual11 variantsnotebook11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list