Wet or Whet

While wet (from Old English wæt) means to be moist or drenched, whet (from Old English hwettan) means to stimulate, excite, or sharpen (a tool). The idiom whet one’s appetite and term whetstone are thus so spelled. Though the two words are only similar in pronunciation, wet is often misused where whet is intended (possibly due to the latter appearing in situations where wetness is implied).