'Wail' is a prolonged loud cry of grief or pain; 'whale' is the large marine mammal.
Verb/noun. To cry out with a prolonged high-pitched sound of grief or pain. A siren or alarm making such a sound. The cry itself.
The child let out a wail when she dropped her ice cream cone on the pavement.
The ambulance siren wailed through the night as it sped to the scene.
She could hear the wail of bagpipes in the distance during the funeral procession.
Noun. The largest marine mammals: cetaceans of various species (blue whale, humpback, sperm whale). Also informally: something very large.
The blue whale is the largest animal known to have ever lived on Earth.
Humpback whales are known for their complex and haunting songs.
They booked a whale-watching tour off the coast of Iceland.
Common mistake
"The baby let out a whale" when meaning the cry (correct: wail). Or "They spotted a wail off the coast" when meaning the marine mammal (correct: whale).
Trick to remember it
'Wail' without H — short, immediate, like a sharp cry. 'Whale' with silent H and LE — bigger, longer word like the whale itself.
Quick rule
Is it the cry of pain or grief? 'Wail'. Is it the marine mammal? 'Whale'.
Did you know?
The blue whale is the largest animal in Earth's history — larger than any dinosaur that ever lived. Its heart weighs as much as a small car, and its call is the loudest of any animal, audible up to 800 km away. 'The Wailing Wall' in Jerusalem (also called the Western Wall) gets its English name from centuries of Jewish mourners wailing prayers for the destroyed Temple. 'Whale' comes from Old English 'hwael' — related to German 'Wal'. Some whales were hunted almost to extinction; the blue whale population dropped by 99% during commercial whaling in the 20th century.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She could hear the _____ of a police siren growing louder as the car approached.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The research vessel followed a humpback _____ as it migrated south.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Is it the cry of pain or grief? 'Wail'. Is it the marine mammal? 'Whale'.
"The baby let out a whale" when meaning the cry (correct: wail). Or "They spotted a wail off the coast" when meaning the marine mammal (correct: whale).
'Wail' without H — short, immediate, like a sharp cry. 'Whale' with silent H and LE — bigger, longer word like the whale itself.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy