whois

/ˈhuːˌɪz/

//ˈhuːˌɪz// noun

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

"whois" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“whois” is uncommon English (frequency #71,219 among 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,219
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The WHOIS protocol or service.

Key facts for whois
PropertyValue
Headwordwhois
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhuːˌɪz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#71,219
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “whois” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

whois is uncommon English at frequency #71,219 among 12,113 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhuːˌɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The WHOIS protocol or service.".

No misspelling variants are generated for whois in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is whois, spelled W-H-O-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The WHOIS protocol or service.

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 "whois"?
"whois" is spelled W-H-O-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhuːˌɪz/.
What does "whois" mean?
As a noun, "whois" means: The WHOIS protocol or service.
How do you pronounce "whois"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "whois" is /ˈhuːˌɪz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "whois" come from?
"whois" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “whois”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is W-H-O-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhuːˌɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list