Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whir

/wɝ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.04 in modern English

Syllables: whir
IPA: /wɝ/

10

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Alternative spelling of whirr.

verb

Alternative spelling of whirr.

Example Sentences

"Suddenly, the time-keeper struck three bells, and the deeper notes of the bell forrard, answered them. I gave a start. It seemed to me that they had been struck close to my elbow. There was something unaccountably strange in the air that night. Then, even as the Second Mate answered the look-out's "All's well," there came the sharp whir and rattle of running gear, on the port side of the mainmast."
"She said: " We're not wasting time. While the cogs of Parliament continue to whir, we will continue to work on the rolling stock and infrastructure strategy, the national transport integrated strategy, and our accessibility roadmap."

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /wɝ/
British English: /wɜː/

Inflected Forms

whirs (plural) whirs (present, singular) whirring (participle, present) whirred (participle, past) whirred (past)

Synonyms

whirr whirring birr whizz whiz purr

Homonyms

were (fern–fir–fur merger) where (fair–fur merger) ware (fair–fur merger, wine–whine merger) whirr

Rhymes With

your were her per sir ensure prefer mirror occur refer cure mature

Questions

How do you pronounce whir?: The recorded pronunciation is /wɝ/.
What does whir mean?: Alternative spelling of whirr.

How to pronounce whir

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