# Two spelling questions
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 18, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895 "2011-04-18T23:02:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/1 "2011-04-18T23:02:31Z")
Two spelling questions I’m looking for a consensus on.
I’ve always felt the correct spelling is “whoa”. But I’m increasingly seeing the word spelled “woah”. Has woah become an acceptable variant spelling or is it still considered to be a misspelling?
I’ve seen a couple of references to “perqs” as in “one of the perqs of the job”. I know that it’s a shortening of the word perquisite, but I’ve always felt it should be spelled perk not perq. Again, is perq an acceptable variant spelling or is it a misspelling?
(For what it’s worth, my spell check flags woah and perq as misspellings.)
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### Author:  [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/2 "2011-04-19T03:39:52Z")
Nothing authoritative, but I happen to side with you in both cases. If I was to see “perq” or “woah” used in written conversation with somebody, I would probably blow a gasket. But I am a bit anal like that.
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### Author:  [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_of_Lucan)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2011, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/3 "2011-04-19T09:59:31Z")
> [@VoluntaryFireman](#):
>
> Nothing authoritative, but I happen to side with you in both cases. If I was to see “perq” or “woah” used in written conversation with somebody, I would probably blow a gasket. But I am a bit anal like that.
I agree. Indeed, someone who writes “perq” is being a little anal - trying to reflect the derivation of the word from perquisite. At this stage, the work is clearly “perk”.
I agree that “whoa” is the norm. It is just representing a sound, so I would be less angry about “woah”. However, as there is a standard way to spell it, I would expect that. It is like saying that a cow “moues” instead of “moos”. it’s the same sound, but not the expected norm.
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### Author:  [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2011, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/4 "2011-04-19T12:13:13Z")
This copyeditor agrees with you on both.
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### Author:  [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2011, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/5 "2011-04-19T12:35:00Z")
Instead of “whoa” or “woah,” perhaps you could say “prostitute” or “hooker” depending on context.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/6 "2011-04-19T13:43:21Z")
For some reason, the “woah” spelling became associated with Keanu Reeves in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Some sites still spell it “whoa” but that seems to be the modern source.
First few hits off Google for bill & ted’s excellent adventure woah -whoa
> [@](#):
>
> YouTube - Woah Is Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey
>
> Woah! Bill & Ted’s Excellent Inception (trailer mashup)
>
> Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure « The Agoraphobic ReviewerJun 14, 2010 … Here is my review of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure… … “Fantastic” says Ted. “Audacious” says Bill. “Woah” says Ted …
>
> VN Boards - Woah! Totally NOT bogus!
>
> Woah, The Keanu Reeves Tournament ROUND 2
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/7 "2011-04-19T14:01:47Z")
“Whoa” is English for “stop a horse” (© Alan Partridge)
“Woah” is Californian for “wow”.
Two unrelated words, similar pronunciations but different spellings. [Related linguistic blog post](http://phonetic-blog.blogspot.com/2011/02/whoa.html).
I’ve only ever known “perk” as in perquisite spelt with a k, and that is the only spelling listed in my dictionary.
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### Author:  [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2011, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/8 "2011-04-20T10:21:40Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> For some reason, the “woah” spelling became associated with Keanu Reeves in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
The first place I’d seen it spelled that way is the English translation of The Adventures of Tintin, where “woah” (with interior vowels sometimes repeated for longer cries) is used to represent the vocalizations of a distressed Snowy (Tintin’s dog). Having no access to the French original, I can’t tell if this spelling originated with Herge or his translators.
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### Author:  [@Ambihelical\_Hexnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambihelical_Hexnut)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/9 "2011-04-20T15:24:08Z")
I spell those words “whoa” and “perk” too.
Until I read this thread, I had no idea that perk/perq was short for anything - had I seen the word “perquisite”, I’d have assumed that somebody had badly butchered the spelling of “prerequisite”
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### Author:  [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/10 "2011-04-20T15:31:46Z")
> [@biqu](#):
>
> The first place I’d seen it spelled that way is the English translation of The Adventures of Tintin, where “woah” (with interior vowels sometimes repeated for longer cries) is used to represent the vocalizations of a distressed Snowy (Tintin’s dog). Having no access to the French original, I can’t tell if this spelling originated with Herge or his translators.
I came in to post the same thing
Herge used “woah” in the French, and English translators kept it the same.
Other translations use a different sound (e.g. in Sweden it used to be Vov Vov, but newer versions have Vouah Vouah).
Eddie Izzard does a good sketch on this if you can find it.
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### Author:  [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/11 "2011-04-20T17:07:23Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> “Woah” is Californian for “wow”.
I could see why they would differentiate. The California version is often pronounced with the “stoner’s throat” at the end, more like “woah-h-h”. That additional little stutter is not really captured with “whoa”.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/12 "2011-04-21T21:51:13Z")
Let me add a third question: “oogling” - an acceptable variant spelling of “ogling” or a misspelling?
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/13 "2011-04-21T22:26:04Z")
IME / IMO …
Another vote for “whoa” is the only way to spell horse-stopping & “woah” is a correct spelling for Californian “wow duuude!”. “Perk” is right; “perq” is written by a literal sophomore; somebody who thinks they’re a lot more literate than they are.
“Oogling” is a typo or an idiot. “Ogling” is the only correct form.
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### Author:  [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/14 "2011-04-21T23:23:50Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> “Oogling” is a typo or an idiot. “Ogling” is the only correct form.
Oogling = Google porn search?
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/15 "2011-04-22T03:26:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> Two spelling questions I’m looking for a consensus on.
>
> I’ve always felt the correct spelling is “whoa”. But I’m increasingly seeing the word spelled “woah”. Has woah become an acceptable variant spelling or is it still considered to be a misspelling?
“Woah” has been a variant spelling for at least 150 year:
> [@OED](#):
>
> Pronunciation: /wəʊ/
> Forms: Also woah.
> Etymology: Variant of whoa int.
>
> = wo int. 2.
>
> …1856 Putnam’s Monthly Mag. Nov. 530/1 With a loud ‘woah!’ the man stopped the beast [sc. ass].
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> I’ve seen a couple of references to “perqs” as in “one of the perqs of the job”. I know that it’s a shortening of the word perquisite, but I’ve always felt it should be spelled perk not perq. Again, is perq an acceptable variant spelling or is it a misspelling?
The OED gives “perq” as a variant spelling, though with no examples.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/16 "2011-04-22T04:21:09Z")
I once heard a conversation between two of my co-workers. They had started arguing about other issues but it had reached the point of arguing about spelling.
“And you spell dismissal wrong. You always spell it d-i-s-m-i-s-a-l.”
“There’s more than one way to spell it.”
“There’s probably a hundred ways to spell it. But only one of them is right.”
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/17 "2011-04-22T15:51:26Z")
From [fark.com](http://fark.com)
> [@](#):
>
> Someone made a graph of Americans’ attitudes on gay marriage, and… whoah
Is there no end to this madness?
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/18 "2011-04-23T13:06:02Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> Is there no end to this madness?
It’s time for somebody to say whohah.
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/19 "2011-04-23T14:23:06Z")
Another editor here agreeing with the OP on perk. Whoa is a harder case but I’d prefer the whoa spelling.
And I find it hard to believe that the stoner “woah” isn’t exactly the same word as the horseman’s “whoa.”
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spelling-questions/578895/20 "2011-04-23T14:33:11Z")
> [@acsenray](#):
>
> And I find it hard to believe that the stoner “woah” isn’t exactly the same word as the horseman’s “whoa.”
The origin is the same, but they’ve split. I grant that “woah” may not endure, and does not rise to some understandings of a word in its own right.
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