# Woah vs Whoa
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [October 19, 2010, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642 "2010-10-19T09:05:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/21 "2010-10-19T22:47:57Z")
Well, according to [this Google Trends page](http://www.google.com/trends?q=whoa%2C+woah), it looks like it _is_ a regional variant. I’m in Australia and it’s running pretty even there.
The [original word](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/whoa) was **“ho”**. Its use as an exclamation of surprise seems to come from “Wow!”
---
### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/22 "2010-10-19T23:10:37Z")
“Whoa” = _stop_, or _wait_.
“Woah” = _wow_.
> [@tumbleddown](#):
>
> Woah is just fundamentally wrong. That combination of letters cannot legitimately be pronounced as a homophone of “woe.” That combination of letters could only legitimately be pronounced as a rhyme with the name Noah, as in he of the ark.
They’re not homophones.
---
### Author:  [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/23 "2010-10-19T23:21:12Z")
“Whoa” as an exclamation and “ho” for the horses.
Actually, that depends on the horse. With fatso the pony-o, you don’t have to do more than think of a word ending in “o” and she parks it. With the thoroughbred, it’s more of a “ho… HO… HO YOU FUCKER!”
---
### Author:  [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/24 "2010-10-19T23:42:14Z")
> [@MaddyStrut](#):
>
> “Whoa” as an exclamation and “ho” for the horses.
>
> Actually, that depends on the horse. With fatso the pony-o, you don’t have to do more than think of a word ending in “o” and she parks it. With the thoroughbred, it’s more of a “ho… HO… HO YOU FUCKER!”
Really? Where do you live that Ho is said to stop horses?
I’m a central Washington gal, born and raised, and we say Whoa there, Nelly, not Ho there, Nelly. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/25 "2010-10-19T23:46:56Z")
> [@tallcoldone](#):
>
> My sister-in-law works to project a sophisticated image. She used the word “facade” several times in a conversion, but pronounced it ‘fah-KAYD’ instead of ‘fah-SAHD’.
Next time ask her why she is talking about a ‘fuck aid.’ A follow-up question would be whether she is referring to Viagra.
---
### Author:  [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/26 "2010-10-20T00:31:30Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> Isn’t a ‘bedroom sweet’ that little chocolate hotels put on the pillow?
Yes, and a ‘bedroom suit’ is the same as a ‘birthday suit’ but is often worn in hotel bedrooms…
---
### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/27 "2010-10-20T00:59:06Z")
> [@spark240](#):
>
> They’re not homophones.
I agree. They are both said differently. Once ends in a /w/, the other in either a glottal stop or nothing a tall. Thus, [wow] vs. [wo(ʔ)]
---
### Author:  [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/28 "2010-10-20T02:59:46Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#):
>
> Woah is just fundamentally wrong. That combination of letters cannot legitimately be pronounced as a homophone of “woe.” That combination of letters could only legitimately be pronounced as a rhyme with the name Noah, as in he of the ark. Woah was someone’s pathetic misspelling which became viral. It must stop.
I agree.
And Whoa is pronounced woe. How are you pronouncing woah? Woe-uh?
---
### Author:  [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2010, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/29 "2010-10-20T07:27:36Z")
Whoa = wow
Woah = stop horsie
and although I can spell and say Voila correctly, it always looks like it should be pronounced VOIL-ah to me.
---
### Author:  [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2010, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/30 "2010-10-20T11:49:00Z")
[Whoa,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whoa) back it up a bit…I’ve never seen “woah” written out in any of the books involving horses I’ve ever read…it’s always “whoa, horsie”.
---
### Author:  [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/31 "2010-10-20T21:39:38Z")
> [@stretch](#):
>
> Really? Where do you live that Ho is said to stop horses?
>
> I’m a central Washington gal, born and raised, and we say Whoa there, Nelly, not Ho there, Nelly. 🙂
My verbal “whoa” to my horse sounds more like “ho”, the beginning of the word is much breathier than if I say “whoa, really?!” to a person. (I’m a Yankee transplanted to the South).
And if the hooved beast is being a beast, he does indeed get a sharp HO! Stops him in his tracks, usually.
If I write the word though, I always spell it whoa. AFAI’m concerned woah doesn’t exist.
---
### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2010, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/32 "2010-10-21T12:25:32Z")
I forgot to actually answer the OP. Whoa is better. I see Woah, and assume it’s pronounced to rhyme with boa.
---
### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2010, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642/33 "2010-10-21T13:18:17Z")
CHRISTIAN: Behold the beast!
VYVYAN: Hello.
CHRISTIAN: Now is the worrying time.
NEIL: Yes it is rather.
CHRISTIAN: Woe!
NEIL: Whoa!
CHRISTIAN: Woe!
NEIL: Whoa!
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-vs-whoa/557642.md?page=1)