# A spelling complaint: The gerund of the word, 'whine'. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 16, 2002, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851 "2002-04-16T00:45:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/1 "2002-04-16T00:45:42Z")
Hello all. In the interest of my continued sanity let’s just go over the proper spelling of the various forms of the word ‘whine’. > [@](#): > > _From [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com)_ > > whine Pronunciation Key (hwn, wn) > v. whined, whin·ing, whines > v. intr. > To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint. > To complain or protest in a childish fashion. > To produce a sustained noise of relatively high pitch: jet engines whining. > > v. tr. > To utter with a whine. > > n. > The act of whining. > A whining sound. > A complaint uttered in a plaintive tone. Please note that, at no point… **Does the gerund form of the word acquire an extra ‘G’!** _ahem_ It’s not ‘whinging’…it’s ‘whining’. I’ve seen this so often on the boards that I actually had to go look and see if the spelling-powers-that-be had changed it when I wasn’t looking. English can be tricky that way. You think you’ve got it down and then BANG! They add ‘walkman’ to Websters. So please… In the interest of my personal sanity. Leave the ‘G’ out. You’re all adults (except maybe 'pun. But we love him anyway). All I ask is that we, as a group, stop mis-spelling this word. Again… ‘whinging’ = BAD, you will surely burn in the pit of damnation. ‘whining’ = GOOD, puppies and bunnies love you. And damn, you’re a sexy cuss, too. Thank you for your time. - Jonathan ‘bugged by the little things’ Chance ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/2 "2002-04-16T00:49:39Z")
You, sir, are not British. From [dictionary.com](http://www.dictionary.com): **Whinge:** _intr.v., Chiefly British, whinged, whing·ing, whing·es_ To complain or protest, especially in an annoying or persistent manner. Viola. Now stop whinging. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/41988e/32.png) [@Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yo_La_Tengo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/3 "2002-04-16T00:53:20Z")
Yeah, very true. I also notice a lot of people misspell **weird** and **a lot**. They both really bug me. You can go ahead and add them to the “stop spelling these easy-to-spell words wrong list.” ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/4 "2002-04-16T01:15:50Z")
**Jodi** , now you’re resorting to calling **JC** a wooden stringed musical instrument?! These unprovoked insults must stop!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hu\_Gnows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/57b2e6/32.png) [@Hu\_Gnows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hu_Gnows)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/5 "2002-04-16T01:16:32Z")
_Too_ often, _too_ many people use ‘to’ instead, and incorrectly. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/6 "2002-04-16T01:50:46Z")
Whinging is not a misspelling of whining. Whing is a word. From MW: > [@](#): > > Main Entry: whinge > Pronunciation: 'hwinj, 'winj > Function: intransitive verb > Inflected Form(s): whinged; whing·ing or whinge·ing > Etymology: from (assumed) Middle English, from Old English hwinsian; akin to Old High German winsOn to moan > Date: 12th century > British : to complain fretfully : WHINE ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/7 "2002-04-16T02:28:56Z")
Whinging is different to (from, than, NB than is only correct in US English) whining. It’s a subtle but important difference. Where ‘whing’ fits in I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![MarkyDeSade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@MarkyDeSade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkyDeSade)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/8 "2002-04-16T02:47:38Z")
**Yo La Tengo** , you’re right about _weird_, but I spelled it incorrectly for years. It violates that “I before E” rule, so it’s bound to be an easy word to miss. wierd, huh? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/9 "2002-04-16T02:53:03Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally by that whinger, **Jonathan Chance** (just kidding)_ > Leave the ‘G’ out. You’re all adults (except maybe 'pun. But we love him anyway). All I ask is that we, as a group, stop mis-spelling this word. I don’t think there’s supposed to be a hyphen there, my man. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/10 "2002-04-16T03:35:00Z")
You’ve never been to Australia, have you mate? Well, at any rate, even if you had no one would have called you a Bloody Whinging Pom, so you can be excused for not knowing the word. But don’t let me catch you complaining about it again. Pfff… how stupid would “Bloody Whining Pom” sound? ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/11 "2002-04-16T04:23:35Z")
**Primaflora** , pray tell: what _is_ the subtle but important difference between ‘whining’ and ‘whinging’? I’ve always thought that the only difference was that one made you sound British. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/12 "2002-04-16T04:29:08Z")
I just try to whing it when it comes to spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/13 "2002-04-16T05:23:56Z")
Is it pronounced any differently? Whine and Whing I mean… ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/14 "2002-04-16T05:34:14Z")
I once had a restaurant boss who was a worse speller than I. All of us at work made fun of him because he was a bit high on ego and low on itellect. Anyway he wrote us a memo once about making sure we were “moping the floors at closing”. That little goof always stayed in my mind. When he wasn’t around I’d shuffle around with a pathetic look on my face.When the co-workers asked what I did - I replied “What’s it look like…I’m moping the floors!”. So whenever someone else mispeels a word., don’t let it anoy you…just grin and bare it. ---
**Author:** ![tigergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@tigergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tigergirl)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/15 "2002-04-16T05:46:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Speaker for the Dead \* > \*\*Is it pronounced any differently? Whine and Whing I mean… \*\* Well, here in OZ it’s spelt whinge and pronounce ‘winj’. Definition from the Macquarie dictionary: whinge- _whinged, whingeing,whinger_ to complain; whine ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/16 "2002-04-16T05:51:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by White Lightning \* > \*\ ***Primaflora** , pray tell: what _is_ the subtle but important difference between ‘whining’ and ‘whinging’? I’ve always thought that the only difference was that one made you sound British. \*\* it’s a hard thing to describe but as a parent I can certainly tell the difference between a whining child and a whinging child. 😉 Something about how high pitched and nasal the child voice goes. The Macquarie says to whine is to utter a nasal, complaining cry or sound while to whinge is to complain, to whine. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/17 "2002-04-16T06:35:04Z")
Just my opinion, to add something to **Primaflora’s** post: while “whine” as in “oh, you whiner, you”, has connotations of something that happens in a single instance – a complaining sound – a “whinge” is something petty, negative, incessant, and “whinger” never stops complaining, no matter what happens. Hence the “whinging Poms” cliche. But the two are also interchangeable, here in NZ. And if I’ve spelled something wrong in the above – well, sorry. I’m another of the “weird” ones with a blindspot as far as the word is concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/18 "2002-04-16T07:56:58Z")
**Speaker** , “whinge” rhymes with “hinge”. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/19 "2002-04-16T08:16:26Z")
Yes indeed… “whinge” is a real word… I learned it from one of my Australian friends some time ago. As for misspelled words that bug me (besides the ones mentioned above), I have these friends that almost always spell “writing” and “eating” with a double T. Aaarrgghh!! It just bugs me! This one friend of mine also spells “awful” as “aweful”… I teased him about it once (“Yeah, I’m sure that feeling full of awe is a VERY valid reason to not come into work”), hoping to gently correct him. He got my humor, but not the correction, alas. Then there are the people who misspell “definitely” as “definately”… don’t get me started! How about more homonyms, guys? For example, people who freely interchange “hear” and “here”; “there”, “their”, and “they’re”; and more, besides? (like “its” and “it’s”) [slight hijack] I’ll always remember the time my mother thought that she’d get me to be sensible in my English spelling tests. (somehow, she got her hands on my copy of one that I’d done particularly badly on, which was unusual for me) She was attempting to pronounce the word “gripe”, but instead it came out “grip”! 😃 I was almost tempted to spell it that way (she made me give the corrected version to her to look at later), but didn’t. It was definitely funny, though! [/slight hijack] I’m not saying I’m a perfect speller, and I know that there have been times when I’ve gotten manic about correcting errors (a fair number of times on these very boards, too), but can’t we all just learn to differentiate between words that sound the same, for example? That might actually be helpful to the universe at large, you know! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851/20 "2002-04-16T08:18:12Z")
Oh, I almost forgot: the people who interchange “you’re” and “your” bug me, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spelling-complaint-the-gerund-of-the-word-whine/103851.md?page=2)