# whoa

> English word · Interjection · IPA /wəʊ/ · frequency rank #9,421

## Definitions
1. Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down.
2. An expression of surprise.
3. Used as a meaningless filler in song lyrics.

## Etymology
Whoa (c. 1843) is a variant of woa (c. 1840), itself a variant of wo (c. 1787), from who (c. 1450), ultimately from Middle English ho, hoo (interjection), probably from Old Norse hó! (interjection, also, a shepherd's call). Compare German ho, Old French ho ! (“hold!, halt!”).

## Easily confused with
- **wo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wo)
- **why** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-why)
- **won** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-won)
- **wow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wow)
- **woo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-woo)
- **woe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-woe)
- **WTO** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wto)
- **wot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wot)
- **wop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wop)
- **wor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wor)
- **wok** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wok)
- **WPA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wpa)
- **WYO** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wyo)
- **whom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-whom)
- **wood** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wood)
- **wool** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wool)
- **woah** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-woah)
- **woof** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-woof)
- **whos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-whos)
- **WNBA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whoa-vs-wnba)

## Common misspellings (5)
`hwoa`, `whao`, `whhoa`, `woha`, `wwhoa`

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