Meaning & use
wakie wakie
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Meanings
interjectionfixed phraseinformalhumorous
A playful, repeated call used to wake someone up, especially a child or a friend.
Grammar: Used on its own as an exclamation, often followed by a name: Wakie wakie, Sam!
Patterns
- wakie wakie, someone
- say "wakie wakie" to someone
Wakie wakie, sleepyhead — breakfast is ready!
She crept into the bedroom and whispered, "Wakie wakie, it's time for school."
He shook his brother's shoulder and sang, "Wakie wakie, rise and shine!"
noununcountableinformalhumorous
A humorous name for the act of waking someone up in a gentle, teasing way.
Grammar: Used as a noun mainly in the phrase 'give someone a wakie wakie'.
Patterns
- give someone a wakie wakie
Come on, you need a wakie wakie before the meeting starts.
The kids love giving their grandpa a wakie wakie on Sunday mornings.
Common combinations
- wakie wakie, sleepyhead
- Wakie wakie, sleepyhead — you've slept till noon!
- give someone a wakie wakie
- I had to give my roommate a wakie wakie at six o'clock.
- say "wakie wakie"
- My mother still says "wakie wakie" when she calls me in the morning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wakey-wakey
- A very close variant spelling of the same playful call; it is the more common written form and is often used by British speakers.
- rise and shine
- Also used to wake someone, but it sounds cheerful and encouraging rather than babyish or teasing.
- get up
- A plain, neutral instruction to leave your bed; it carries none of the playful, affectionate tone of 'wakie wakie'.
Opposites
Commonly confused: wakie wakie or wakey-wakey? wakie wakie or wake?
wakie wakie vs wakey-wakey
This is the same expression with a different spelling, and it appears far more often in print. 'Wakie wakie' is an informal, phonetic spelling of the same call.
wakie wakie vs wake
'Wake' is the ordinary verb meaning to stop sleeping or to make someone stop sleeping; 'wakie wakie' is only a humorous spoken call, not a verb.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'wakie wakie' in the most natural way?
Choose one answer.
'Wakie wakie' works as a fixed spoken call, so it stands alone as an exclamation before a name. It is not a verb, so options using it with subjects, objects or past-tense endings ('I wakie wakie', 'wakie wakied') are not grammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wakie wakie”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.