Whitsun

/ˈwɪt.sən/

//ˈwɪt.sən// noun

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

The verdict

“Whitsun” is uncommon English (frequency #94,435 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,435
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Whitsunday.

Corpus desk

Index EN-whitsun · Whitsun · English

Whitsun · rank #94,435 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,435
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH whirr

Nearest frequency peer: whirr (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “Whitsun”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Whitsun” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Whitsun
PropertyValue
HeadwordWhitsun
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪt.sən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#94,435
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Whitsun” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “whirr” (#94,434), “widdle” (#94,436), “WGS” (#94,432). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “Whitsun” is #94,435. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Whitsun is uncommon English at frequency #94,435 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈwɪt.sən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Whitsun, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Apocopic form of Whitsunday. The correct English form is Whitsun, spelled W-H-I-T-S-U-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Whitsunday.
  2. 2
    The holiday beginning on Whitsunday.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1909, Sidney Heath, Romance of Symbolism: Fonts and the symbols of baptism - The times [for baptism] of which Whitsun Eve is one, are specified by ... the constitutions for Orthobon for England, Gerona, 517, c. iv.
  2. 1978, Peter Bailey, Leisure and class in Victorian England: Rational recreation and the contest for control, quoting "a British observation from early 20th century", read in Orvar Löfgren, On Holiday: A History of Vacationing (2002) - The excursion train used to vomit forth, at Easter and in Whitsun week, throngs of millhands of the period, cads and their…

Etymology

Apocopic form of Whitsunday.

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 "Whitsun"?
"Whitsun" is spelled W-H-I-T-S-U-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪt.sən/.
What does "Whitsun" mean?
As a noun, "Whitsun" means: Whitsunday.
How do you pronounce "Whitsun"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Whitsun" is /ˈwɪt.sən/. 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 "Whitsun"?
Apocopic form of Whitsunday. 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 "Whitsun", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list