a whole nother
(usually, US, informal) : an entirely different; a whole other.
Seen in the wild
Stress cleaned the bedroom carpet of cat fur last night. Could make a whole nother cat of resulting fur mountain.
Relevant discussion may be found on the [talk page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:A_Whole_Nother_Thang "Talk:A Whole Nother Thang").
05. [↑](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Whole_Nother_Story#cite_ref-5)["Publishers Weekly, A Whole Nother Story"](http://www.publishersweekly.com:8080/978-1-59990-435-1). _PublishersWeekly.com_.
Definitions
(usually, US, informal) : an entirely different; a whole other.
"Will the fog be gone by to-morrow morning?" said Patty, disconsolately. "I don't know what we shall do if we have to be '''a whole 'nother''' day in the house and in the dark."
“Stress cleaned the bedroom carpet of cat fur last night. Could make a whole nother cat of resulting fur mountain.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
Show 1 more dictionary-style sense (imported)
: an entirely different; a whole other.
"a whole nother" means : an entirely different; a whole other. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"a whole nother" is informal English meaning : an entirely different; a whole other. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like ": an entirely different" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "a whole nother" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
“Relevant discussion may be found on the [talk page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:A_Whole_Nother_Thang "Talk:A Whole Nother Thang").”
“05. [↑](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Whole_Nother_Story#cite_ref-5)["Publishers Weekly, A Whole Nother Story"](http://www.publishersweekly.com:8080/978-1-59990-435-1). _PublishersWeekly.com_.”
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