W

waitlist (n.), wait-list (v.)

wake-up call

walk up (v.), walk-up (n. and adj.)

Washington, D.C.

  • Use state of Washington or Washington state to refer to the state.
  • Do not abbreviate Washington as Wash.  

war

  • Capitalize as part of the official name: Gulf War, Afghanistan War, Iraq War, Cold War.

warlike

warlord

wartime

washed-up (adj.)

web

  • Short form of World Wide Web. Lowercase. 
  • Also webpage and webfeed.

web-based

  • Hyphenate.

website

weekend

weeklong

weights

  • Use figures: The baby weighed 3.5 kilograms.

WEL

  • Stands for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship and Leadership Program. 
  • If space is limited, use Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program. 

West, west

  • See directions.

well

  • Hyphenate as part of a compound modifier: She is a well-known singer.

well-to-do

well-wishers

whereabouts

  • Takes a singular or plural verb. His whereabouts is unknown. His whereabouts are unknown.

wherever

who, whom

  • Who is used for references to human beings and animals. It is always the subject of a sentence: The student who won the award graduated last year. Who is at the door?
  • Whom is used when someone is the object of a verb or preposition: The student to whom the award was granted graduated last year. Whom do you wish to meet?

whistleblower

white-collar (adj.)

who’s, whose

  • Who’s is a contraction for who is. Whose is a possessive noun: Whose book is this?  

wholehearted

-wide

  • No hyphen. Some examples: campuswide, citywide, nationwide, countrywide, worldwide, industrywide. But hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: campus-wide event.

wide-

  • Usually hyphenated. Some examples: wide-angle, wide-eyed. Exception: widespread.

widths

  • See dimensions.

WiFi

  • Acceptable in all references for wireless networking. 

wiki

WikiLeaks

Wikipedia

  • Should not be used as a primary source for information.
  • See Social Media Guidelines.

wildlife

will

  • See shall, will and subjunctive mood.

wind up (v.), windup (n. and adj.)

wintertime

wiretap, wiretapper (n.); wiretap, wiretapped, wiretapping (v.)

-wise

  • No hyphen when it means in the direction of (clockwise) or with regard to (otherwise).

WMD

  • Weapons of mass destruction. Use WMD on second reference.

Women, female

  • Women is a noun; female is an adjective. Correct: female entrepreneurs; Incorrect: women entrepreneurs.

word-of-mouth (n. and adj.)

word processing (adj.)

workbook, workday, workforce, workhorse, workout, workplace, workstation, workweek

workers’ compensation

  • Use the plural possessive.

working class (n.), working-class (adj.)

World Bank

  • Acceptable in all references for International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

World Health Organization

  • Use WHO on second reference.

World War I, World War II

worldwide

worn-out

would

  • See should, would.