whow

Whow is an archaic English adverb and a spelling variant of how. In its principal sense, it asks in what way something is done or happens: “Whow can say what tomorrow will bring?” It can also express degree or emphasis, much as how does in “Whow little the company knew.” In older English, whow was a normal form rather than an unusual or humorous one, appearing in Middle and Early Modern writing. Modern speakers almost always use how, so whow in a passage may signal deliberately archaic, literary, or historical language. Although its spelling looks distinctive, whow is not a separate modern interrogative word and should not be confused with who, which asks about a person. Encountering it can be useful to readers of older literature because it preserves an earlier form of a familiar question word and illustrates how English spellings can change while pronunciation and basic meaning remain largely stable.

An archaic variant of how, used to ask in what way or manner something is done, to what degree it is the case, or to express emphasis.

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Etymology of whow

Whow is a Middle English spelling variant of how, used especially in late medieval and Early Modern English. Modern how descends from Old English hū, an interrogative adverb inherited through Germanic; the wh- spelling also occurs in related English interrogatives such as who, where, and whether. These words broadly reflect a common Indo-European question root, while their pronunciations, spellings, and grammatical functions developed differently over time.

How whow is actually used

Whow is no longer part of ordinary contemporary English. It is encountered mainly in older literature, quotations, historical writing, and deliberately archaic or humorous language; modern usage would normally substitute how.

Easily confused with whow

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Rhymes with whow