Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whoever

/huˈɛvɚ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.42 in modern English

Syllables: who-ev-er
IPA: /huˈɛvɚ/

16

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

pron

Who ever: an emphatic form of who.

pron

Any person or persons that.

pron

The person that (no matter who).

pron

Regardless of the person or persons that.

pron

Any person or persons.

Informal

pron

Misspelling of who ever other than in interrogative use.

Example Sentences

"Whoever thought up that stupid idea?"
"Whoever breaks the law will be punished."
"Whoever robbed that old lady ought to be locked up."
"I don't know what it is. Ask whoever put it there."
"Whoever stole the painting, the police will catch the thief in no time."
"I don't care who gets it; give it to whoever."

Etymology

From Middle English whoever. By surface analysis, who + -ever.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: whoever

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /huˈɛvɚ/
British English: /huˈɛvə/

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

whomever (objective) whosever (possessive) whoe'er (alternative, poetic) whoëver (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

whoever's

Phrases

whoever smelt it dealt it

Frequently Paired Words

nobody whatever whenever wherever whomever whosoever

Rhymes With

never ever however whatever forever whenever wherever clever whatsoever trevor whichever lever

Questions

How do you pronounce whoever?: The recorded pronunciation is /huˈɛvɚ/.
What does whoever mean?: Who ever: an emphatic form of who.
Where does whoever come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce whoever

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