Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whinny

/ˈwɪni/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.97 in modern English

Syllables: whin-ny
IPA: /ˈwɪni/

15

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A gentle neigh.

verb

To make a gentle neigh.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"And moving out they found the stately horse, / Who now no more a vassal to the thief, / But free to stretch his limbs in lawful fight, / Neigh'd with all gladness as they came, and stoop'd / With a low whinny toward the pair: […]"
"When my wife and I heard a plaintive whinny from our laundry room the other day, we knew that our old dryer had cycled its last load."
"Cattle lowed here and there, and horses whinnied to be fed."
"A pony whinnied a short distance from the hut."
"[John Gray] whinnies like a donnish Houyhnhnm[.]"

Etymology

From Middle English whynyen, whinien, akin to Middle English whinen (“to whine”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: whynyen

Usage

Inflected Forms

whinnies (plural) whinney (alternative) whinnies (present, singular) whinnying (participle, present) whinnied (participle, past) whinnied (past)

Frequently Paired Words

nicker

Synonyms

neigh nicker whicker

Homonyms

Winnie winny winney

Rhymes With

any guinea skinny minnie papua new guinea winnie ginny finney kinney pliny tinny phinney

Questions

How do you pronounce whinny?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɪni/.
What does whinny mean?: A gentle neigh.
Where does whinny come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce whinny

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “whinny”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwɪni/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “whinny”.
Repeat and practice — Say “whinny” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.