Whine means to complain in a high-pitched or self-pitying way. Wine is the drink made from grapes. Memory hook: whiners have an h for huff, and wine has no h to spare.
The core difference
Whine is annoying complaining or a high-pitched sound; wine is a drink made from fermented grapes.
- whine — to complain in an annoying way, or a long high-pitched sound: Stop whining and just get on with the work.
- wine — an alcoholic drink made by fermenting grape juice: They shared a bottle of red wine with dinner.
How to tell them apart
Many speakers say these two identically, so it comes down to spelling. If the sentence is about complaining or a thin, high sound such as an engine, use whine. If you can pour it into a glass, use wine.
A trick: whine has an extra h, the sound of a sigh or a huff, and complaining is full of sighs. The mistake often appears in jokes such as wine about it, and in phrases like a wine of protest when the writer means whine. Note also that wine can be a verb, as in being wined and dined.
