Whelp
In Southern and Appalachian speech, whelp is sometimes used where standard English has welt - a raised red mark on the skin from a blow, sting, or allergy.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Growin' up, I heard a welt bein' called 'whelp' by young'uns. It's doesn't come up very often, so it's hard to know how common it is nowadays. Hillbilly Dude Says...
Growin' up, I heard a welt bein' called 'whelp' by young'uns. It's doesn't come up very often, so it's hard to know how common it is nowadays. Pronunciation
[WELP]
/wɛlp/
/wɛlp/
Meaning & Usage
- Raised Mark on the Skin (noun; dialectal variant of welt)
Mamaw:
You’ve got a big whelp there - put some salve on it.
You’ve got a big whelp there - put some salve on it.
Papaw:
It’ll go down by mornin’.
It’ll go down by mornin’.★ Standard spelling is welt. The whelp form shows up in Southern/Appalachian speech and informal writing. ★
Origin and Etymology
A dialectal blend with the standard noun welt. Major dictionaries note whelp as a regional or nonstandard variant meaning "welt."
Usage Notes
Heard across the South and Appalachia; uncommon elsewhere except as a misspelling or dialect rendering. Use welt in formal prose; record whelp when preserving authentic speech.
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How to Cite This Page
- APA (7th edition)The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, October 11). Whelp. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/whelp-welt
- MLA (9th edition)"The Hillbilly Dude." "Whelp." HillbillySlang.com, 11 Oct. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/whelp-welt.
- Chicago (17th edition)The Hillbilly Dude. "Whelp." HillbillySlang.com. October 11, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/whelp-welt.
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