# the spelling of "whine" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478 "2005-10-02T19:59:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/1 "2005-10-02T19:59:30Z")
I keep seeing a weird word on this board lately. The word I’m seeing is “whinge”. When I see this word, I pronounce it “winj”. But I think it’s supposed to be pronounced “whine.” Which is how I spell that word anyway. You know, the word [“whine”](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=whine) ? Is this a British spelling? I thought I was somewhat well read and recognized British versions of words as opposed to American versions. Or am i just behind the times and this is a new and improved spelling that has taken over the world? ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/2 "2005-10-02T20:07:28Z")
[\*British \*: to complain fretfully](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=whinge&x=0&y=0), from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/3 "2005-10-02T20:07:36Z")
The word and spelling go back in Old English to at least 1150. I think it’s just become fashionable in the last 5-20 years. I _think_ that most Brits and Aussies pronounce it to rhyme with “hinge.” I could be wrong about the last. ---
**Author:** ![Fromage\_A\_Trois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fromage\_A\_Trois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fromage_A_Trois)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/4 "2005-10-02T20:17:01Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I _think_ that most Brits and Aussies pronounce it to rhyme with “hinge.” Yup. Similar in meaning to whine, or moan. I think “whinge” is used to suggest that the complaining in question is quite childish in nature, although that could just be me. ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/5 "2005-10-02T22:53:43Z")
A bit like the difference between a boat and a ship, I suppose. A boat is smaller than a ship, but the exact demarcation point between the two is never defined. Likewise, a whine is longer in duration than a whinge, and whine implies a certain constantly-complaining character, whereas a whinge is more of an occasional one-off minor complaint, albeit one that is talked up beyond its actual importance. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/6 "2005-10-02T23:05:09Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > The word and spelling go back in Old English to at least 1150. I think it’s just become fashionable in the last 5-20 years. > > I _think_ that most Brits and Aussies pronounce it to rhyme with “hinge.” > > I could be wrong about the last. Also, there’s a lot of transoceanic influence here, so if you see a member here using the word “whinge” they might actually be American. ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/7 "2005-10-02T23:07:45Z")
I don’t think of this word as either “foreign” or “recently trendy.” I grew up with it, raised in the 50s by American parents with deep American roots and little tolerance for childish whingeing. Whinging? Doesn’t mean I know how to spell it. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/8 "2005-10-02T23:37:09Z")
> [@SparrowHawk](#): > > I don’t think of this word as either “foreign” or “recently trendy.” I grew up with it, raised in the 50s by American parents with deep American roots and little tolerance for childish whingeing. Whinging? Doesn’t mean I know how to spell it. Warning: anechdotal evidence. American, born in 1944. I consider myself middle-class, decently educated, and modestly well read. I never heard or saw the word until I got on the internet in 1998. **SparrowHawk**. Any chance your parents or grandparents were born in a UK country? ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/9 "2005-10-03T04:00:30Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Warning: anechdotal evidence. > > American, born in 1944. I consider myself middle-class, decently educated, and modestly well read. I never heard or saw the word until I got on the internet in 1998. > > **SparrowHawk**. Any chance your parents or grandparents were born in a UK country? In the interest of collecting dueling anecdotes, I repeat: American parents with deep American roots; my ancestors hailed over from sundry UK locations (England, Scotland, Wales) beginning in the mid-17th century. It might be an isolated regional holdover; the maternal side flourished in the Southern mountains, the paternal, on an island off New England’s coast. Or maybe I just spring from purely idiosyncratically-linguistic stock. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/10 "2005-10-03T04:04:22Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Warning: anechdotal evidence. > > American, born in 1944. I consider myself middle-class, decently educated, and modestly well read. I never heard or saw the word until I got on the internet in 1998. > > **SparrowHawk**. Any chance your parents or grandparents were born in a UK country? American, born in 1949. Grew up in The Bronx. My mother used _whinge_ all the time. Today is the first time I’ve heard (read) it since I was a child. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/11 "2005-10-03T12:49:18Z")
More anecdote: American born in the 50s of American parents born in the 30s. Well-traveled & well-read. Never heard of the word until I subscribed to The Economist 15 years ago. Have never heard it used in speech, although I’ve never had occasion to talk at length with any Commonwealth folks. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/12 "2005-10-03T12:52:46Z")
Huh. Learn something new everyday. Thanks guys! ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/13 "2005-10-03T13:06:22Z")
Are you all pronouncing the ‘h’ in whinge? I do. Recent experience has shown me lots of people mis-spelling “where” as “were”. So I’m wondering if the “wh” sound is on the decline. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/14 "2005-10-03T13:21:20Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#): > > Are you all pronouncing the ‘h’ in whinge? I do. > > Recent experience has shown me lots of people mis-spelling “where” as “were”. So I’m wondering if the “wh” sound is on the decline. Glad you mentioned the pronunciation, **Futile Gesture**. I clicked on Papermache Prince’s link and found that at… [http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=whinge&x=0&y=0](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=whinge&x=0&y=0) …the word seems to be sounded without the ‘H’ sound and it comes out INJ. (My wife heard it the same way.) Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/15 "2005-10-03T13:30:50Z")
> [@E=mc^2](#): > > …the word seems to be sounded without the ‘H’ sound and it comes out INJ. (My wife heard it the same way.) Anyone else? Strictly speaking the ‘h’ in whinge should be voiced slightly, though the nature of English is such that it will eventually be lost, and we’ll wind up with a spelling like winge or winj. I think the ‘h’ is important, and it’s a shame to lose it to slackness of enunciation. That’s my whinge for the day. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/16 "2005-10-03T13:49:19Z")
One more anecdote. American born in 1958. Never heard the word until Mr Gore invented the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/17 "2005-10-03T13:57:09Z")
> [@Fridgemagnet](#): > > Strictly speaking the ‘h’ in whinge should be voiced slightly, though the nature of English is such that it will eventually be lost, and we’ll wind up with a spelling like winge or winj. > > I think the ‘h’ is important, and it’s a shame to lose it to slackness of enunciation. That’s my whinge for the day. The “wh” sound (which long ago was written as “hw”) in words like “what”, “when”, “which” and “why” used to be a lot more distinctive than it now is for some; and for many of us English-speakers that distinction is gone: I pronounce “what” and “watt” the ame, and “whine” and “wine” the same. And oddly, in “who” the “w” sound disappeared, while the “h” sound remained. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/18 "2005-10-03T14:01:40Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > The word and spelling go back in Old English to at least 1150. I think it’s just become fashionable in the last 5-20 years. > > I _think_ that most Brits and Aussies pronounce it to rhyme with “hinge.” > > I could be wrong about the last. You are right about the last but I think you may be wrong about the first. I encountered it in common usage when I moved to the UK in 82. Australians have been referring to ‘whinging poms’ for a lot longer than that, probably at least since the days of the Ten Pound Poms. ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/19 "2005-10-03T17:54:10Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#): > > Are you all pronouncing the ‘h’ in whinge? I do. Do you mean pronouncing (“wuh-hinge”) or aspirating the ‘w’? ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478/20 "2005-10-03T18:10:30Z")
> [@Mathochist](#): > > Do you mean pronouncing (“wuh-hinge”) or aspirating the ‘w’? Aspirating. Sort of like “hwindge” to rhyme with ‘hinge’ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spelling-of-whine/324478.md?page=2)