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wail or whale?
Forget Moby Dick for a second -- who is of course the famous whale -- and remember that a singer will wail a song, a bully will whale on his victim and a drummer will whale on the drum, so too will a guitarist.
wake of, in the
Overused. Prefer as a result (of) or after.
wash up
The US meaning of wash up is to wash your face. The British meaning is to do the dishes.
water proof or waterproof?
waterproof:
web site or website?
The standard British spelling is website and there is a strong US preference for web site, though website is also common.
at the weekend or on the weekend?
In the UK the correct usage is at the weekend, while in the US it is on the weekend.
weiner or wiener?
This little conundrum is reserved for Americans, who like to call a certain type of sausage a wiener. The only problem is that many mistakenly spell it 'weiner'. The name comes from the Austrian city Wien, or Vienna in English.
well or good?
Well is an adverb and good is an adjective. Use adverbs to describe verbs (play, sing, work etc) and adjectives to describe nouns (things). That's how we get: "Your writing is really good. You write well." Remember that sports teams don't 'play good', but well.
well known
Just remember that if someone is so famous that they are well known, you probably don’t have to mention that they are well known. On the other hand, it’s understandable if you write: ‘He is a well known figure in the rap world/Middle East/Peckham area.’
well-known or well known?
well known: So why do we write about a well known person and not a well-known person? You would in many ways be justified in wanting to write about a well-known person because you would also write about a denim-clad cowboy, a hearing-impaired pensioner and a straight-laced accountant. Here, the words joined by the hyphen make up a compound adjective (making one, precise description by using two words - and joining them). The reason why we don't use a hyphen with well and known is because -- unlike denim, straight, impaired etc -- well is an adverb (check the dictionary): it gets treated like any -ly word and does not need the hyphen.
So adverbs are used just like a highly skilled professional, a seasonally adjusted schedule and a fully understood piece of advice -- so too, a well thought-out plan, a well known person and a well worn pair of jeans. Now, taking all this into account, why do we keep seeing well-known all over the place. The reason is, just as I mentioned above, that to a lot of people the hyphen between the well and known simply looks more logical than without. Even the Times (UK) advises in its style guide to hyphenate well and another word simply because the "compound looks better" with a hyphen than without. They suggest not using the term altogether. They also point out that ill, as in ill equipped, is also an adverb and does not technically need a hyphen -- but you try convincing people of that! Luckily, too, being well known (n.) is also spelt without a hyphen.
whence or whence of?
If you are going to use this archaic word, use it right: whence, not "from whence". Whence means "where from/from where", so why not just use that?
whether or whether or not?
The adding of 'or not' to whether doesn't add anything to the meaning. In most cases, whether is used as a pompous synonym of if. "We don't know whether the performance is going ahead." However, use whether or not when there are two alternatives of equal weight. "Whether or not you decide to come to town with us or stay at home, it won't influence our decision."
whereabouts is or whereabouts are?
The runaway banker’s whereabouts is not known.
whilst or while?
while: Like 'whilst', 'amidst' and 'amongst', 'unbeknownst' harks back to an older form of English that sounds overly formal and stilted in today's usage. Few people say 'hither' and 'thither' like they did not so long ago; we say 'here and there'. Using -st forms like these are still popular -- championed, even -- in pretentious language. The more modern forms are while, among, amid and unbeknown. It is much easier to say "amid the confusion" than "amidst the confusion". Take note, too, that the -st forms are rarely encountered in American English, no matter how much they are loved by a minority few in Britain. Use superfluous -st endings by all means, if you really want to, but there is absolutely no need for you to use them -- nor obligation.
See also the full-length article English usage: whilst or while?
whiskey or whisky?
depends: Distilled malts from Scotland and Canada are called 'Whisky', and the same thing from Ireland or the US spell theirs 'Whiskey' -- regardless of what it's made from.
who or that?
Use who for people and groups of people. Use that for companies and organisations.
who or whom?
A lot of people think that whom is doomed. Use whom when who is used as an object (he > him, she > her, who > whom).
whose
Some claim, because of the logic behind who/that (above), that whose can't be used for inanimate objects. What else is there apart from the need to re-write? We want to acknowledge the building, whose significance is often overlooked.
with or to?
There is growing influence from the informal US use of speak with and talk with. The correct forms is all forms of English remains speak to and talk with in examples like "I spoke to your neighbour yesterday".
Although many Americans will insist that speak with and talk with are perfectly acceptable, such constructions should still be compared with correct forms like speak with a lisp / speak with confidence as well as talk with an accent / talk with a whisper.
with all due respect
An overused and (often) meaningless phrase.
woollen or woolen?
woollen: British spelling uses the -ll- variant for both woollen and woolly, while Americans write woolen and wooly.
worldwide or world wide?
It’s worldwide.
worldwide web or world wide web?
It’s worldwide web.
worshipped or worshiped?
worshipped: British spelling uses the -pp- variant for both 'worshipped' and 'worshipping', while Americans write 'worshiped' and 'worshiping'.
worst nightmare
And you thought that the world was running out of cliches. Best avoided, no need to state the obvious.
if the worst comes to the worst
if the worst comes to the worst: This popular phrase always includes the word 'the', while Americans often say "if worst comes to worst" or "worse comes to worse".
write to me or write me?
Americans are famous for using write me while in British English it is write to me. It would be easy to take a cheap shot at this apparent oddity, but in all fairness it falls in line with every other form of communication: call me; e-mail me; text me; SMS me; and CC me. So who are the odd ones?.
wrought or wreaked?
In a sentence like "The winter storm wrought havoc on the coastal infrastructure", it might be safe to assume that wrought is the past tense of wreak. It is not. The past tense of wreak havoc is wreaked havoc. On the other hand, wrought up means to be upset.