whoop

/wuːp/

//wuːp// noun

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

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

The verdict

“whoop” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,551. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,551
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A loud, eager cry, usually of joy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-whoop · whoop · English

whoop · rank #22,551 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,551
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH when's

Nearest frequency peer: when's (-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 “whoop”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “whoop” 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).

whoop vs woo
60% similar
whoop vs wop
60% similar
whoop vs wood
60% similar

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

Key facts for whoop
PropertyValue
Headwordwhoop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/wuːp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#22,551
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “whoop”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “when's” (#22,550), “Williamsburg” (#22,552), “Wentworth” (#22,549). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “whoop” is #22,551. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around whoop (IPA /wuːp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,551 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for whoop, with forms such as "hwoop", "whhoop", and "whoopp". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "woo", "wop", "wood", 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 whopen, whowpen, howpen, houpen (“to whoop, cry out”), partially from Old French houper, hopper, houpper (“to shout”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwōpan, from Proto-Germanic *hwōpaną (“to boast, threaten”) (compare Gothic 𐍈𐍉𐍀𐌰𐌽 (ƕōpa… The correct English form is whoop, spelled W-H-O-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A loud, eager cry, usually of joy.
  2. 2
    A gasp, characteristic of whooping cough.
  3. 3
    A bump on a racetrack.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mixed with the whoop of the crane and the roar of the grim alligator.
  2. [A] great whoop of victory sounded as finally they carried the fish up the beach.

Etymology

From Middle English whopen, whowpen, howpen, houpen (“to whoop, cry out”), partially from Old French houper, hopper, houpper (“to shout”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwōpan, from Proto-Germanic *hwōpaną (“to boast, threaten”) (compare Gothic 𐍈𐍉𐍀𐌰𐌽 (ƕōpan, “to boast”), Old English hwōpan (“to threaten”)); and partially from Middle English wop (“weeping, lamentation”), from Old English wōp (“cry, outcry, shrieking, weeping, lamentation”), from Proto-West Germanic *wōp, from Proto-Germanic *wōpaz (“shout, cry, wail”) (compare Old Norse ópa (“to cry, scream, shout”), Gothic 𐍅𐍉𐍀𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wōpjan, “to cry out”)).

This word in other languages

hurlement(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hwoop
  • whhoop
  • whoopp
  • whop
  • whopo
  • wohop
  • wwhoop

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of whoop - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hwoop2whhoop1whoopp1whop1whopo2wohop2wwhoop1
Edit distance from "whoop"

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 "whoop"?
"whoop" is spelled W-H-O-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /wuːp/.
What does "whoop" mean?
As a noun, "whoop" means: A loud, eager cry, usually of joy.
What words are commonly confused with "whoop"?
"whoop" is commonly confused with "woo", "wop", "wood". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "whoop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "whoop" is /wuːp/. 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 "whoop"?
From Middle English whopen, whowpen, howpen, houpen (“to whoop, cry out”), partially from Old French houper, hopper, houpper (“to shout”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwōpan, from Proto-Germanic *hwōpaną (“to boast, threaten”) (compare Gothic 𐍈𐍉𐍀... 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 "whoop", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

waged#22,546amaze#22,572telly#22,523Tahoe#22,521

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

swoop7 variantsbatted7 variantsBeatty7 variantsskier7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list