Word Choice: Wail vs. Whale

What is the difference between a cry of pain and a 190-ton marine mammal? Well, not a huge amount if you go by pronunciation. The words ‘wail’ and ‘whale’ sound identical, after all, which makes them easy to mix up. But these terms also refer to very different things, as we will now explain.

Wail (Cry or Scream)

‘Wail’ can be a noun or a verb. In either case, it refers to a cry or scream:

Noun Usage: They heard the wail from upstairs.

Verb Usage: She wailed in sadness when she saw the news.

Typically, we use this sense of ‘wail’ to describe a high-pitched cry of pain, grief or anger. More rarely, though, ‘wail’ can be used to mean ‘play a tune exceptionally well’ (e.g. wailing on the saxophone). But this is largely old jazz slang, so it isn’t common in modern English.

Whale (Large Sea Mammal)

‘Whale’ is almost always a noun and refers to a number of large sea mammals. For instance, we could use it in the following sentence:

We are going out in a boat to watch the whales later today.

There are many different types of whale, ranging from the relatively small dwarf sperm whale (usually around 9ft long) to the massive blue whale (up to 98ft long). But all of them are ‘whales’.

Finally, we can also use ‘whale’ as a verb to describe the act of hunting for whales (i.e. whaling or whale fishing). But this is illegal in the majority of countries now, so it is not commonly used in most situations.

Summary: Wail or Whale?

‘Wail’ and ‘whale’ might sound alike, but they look very different written down. As such, it should be easy to tell these terms apart once you know what they mean. Remember the following distinction:

• Wail can be a verb or a noun and refers to a cry of despair or grief.
• Whale is almost always a noun and refers to a large sea mammal.

As a final note, try not to get either of these words confused with ‘Wales’, which is part of the UK. And if you’d like more help with spelling issues, submit a document for proofreading today.