How to pronounce whet

Say WET. The American pronunciation is /wɛt/. In British English it is /wɛt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.

Say it like WET. Whet is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.

VoiceSpeed

Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce whet. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.

US American/wɛt/WET

UK British/wɛt/WET

Whet pronunciation, sound by sound

Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.

American and British speakers say whet in essentially the same way: /wɛt/ in the US and /wɛt/ in the UK.

British respelling: WET.

verb

Of an animal such as a boar: to sharpen (its horns, teeth, tusks, etc.) by rubbing on a stone, etc., in preparation for an attack.
To make more keen or to stimulate (someone's appetite, interest, etc.); to hone, to sharpen.“to whet one's appetite or one's courage”
To make more keen; to stimulate.

noun

An act of sharpening something by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone.
An item of drink or food consumed as an appetizer or to ward off hunger until a meal; specifically, a small amount of liquor drunk as an appetizer; a dram, a nip.
A thing which makes one's desire, interest, etc., more keen; an incitement, an inducement.

Similar meaning

Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of whet.

Say WET. The American pronunciation is /wɛt/. In British English it is /wɛt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.

Whet is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: WET.

Almost exactly. The American form is /wɛt/ and the British form is /wɛt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.

Whet sounds the same as wet in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.