How Do You Spell Waikiki? Unpacking the Official and Common Spellings

You’re booking a dream trip or just writing about that famous Hawaiian paradise, and a small but persistent question pops up: how do you spell Waikiki? You’ve seen it as plain “Waikiki,” but you’ve also spotted a version with lines over the ‘i’s, “Waikīkī.” This isn’t just a trivial detail; the difference between these spellings carries the weight of language, history, and cultural respect. Getting it right shows you understand the place on a deeper level.
Let’s clear up the confusion for good. We’ll break down both the common and the official spellings, explain what those extra marks mean, and give you practical advice on which one to use and when.

At a Glance: Key Spelling Takeaways

• The Common Spelling: Waikiki is the universally accepted English spelling. Use it for flights, hotels, and general online searches to ensure compatibility.
• The Official Hawaiian Spelling: Waikīkī is the correct spelling in the Hawaiian language (ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi). It reflects the true pronunciation and meaning of the name.
• What the Line Means: The line over the i is a kahakō. It indicates a long, stressed vowel sound, changing the pronunciation from “Wai-ki-ki” to “Wai-KEE-KEE.”
• Context is Everything: Use Waikiki for travel logistics and broad international communication. Use Waikīkī to show cultural respect, in academic writing, or when communicating within Hawaiʻi.
• Typing the Marks: You can easily type the kahakō. On a phone, just press and hold the “i” key. On a computer, simple keyboard shortcuts are available.

The Simple Answer: The Spelling You Already Know

When you ask, “how do you spell Waikiki?” the most straightforward and widely used answer is:
W-A-I-K-I-K-I
This is the anglicized, diacritic-free version you’ll find on airline tickets, hotel booking sites, rental car agreements, and most international travel guides. For decades, this has been the default spelling in English, largely due to the limitations of typewriters and early computer systems that couldn’t easily produce the special characters of the Hawaiian language.
Why it became the standard:

• Simplicity: It’s easy to type on any standard English keyboard.
• Compatibility: Digital systems, from search engines to reservation databases, are built to recognize this version flawlessly. Using Waikīkī in a flight search might yield zero results.
• Historical Usage: For over a century, English-language newspapers, books, and official documents used this simplified spelling, cementing it in the global consciousness.
  For all practical, logistical purposes, Waikiki is your go-to spelling. It’s functional, universally understood, and will get you where you need to go without any technical glitches.

Unveiling the Official Hawaiian Spelling: Waikīkī

While Waikiki is common, it’s not the complete story. The correct and official spelling in the Hawaiian language is Waikīkī.
This spelling carries the true identity and heritage of the place. The name itself is a beautiful descriptor of the area’s past. In Hawaiian, Wai means “fresh water,” and kīkī means “to spurt or gush.” Combined, Waikīkī means “spouting fresh water.” This name refers to the rivers, springs, and marshlands that once defined the area, long before the high-rises and hotels appeared. Understanding the origin of the name is fundamental to appreciating the location’s rich history, which is a core part of what defines Waikiki? beyond its famous shoreline.
Using the name Waikīkī is an act of cultural acknowledgment. It honors the native language and the history embedded within the name itself.

What Are Those Marks? A Closer Look at Hawaiian Diacritics

The Hawaiian written language uses two primary diacritical marks to ensure proper pronunciation and meaning: the ʻokina and the kahakō. Understanding them is the key to seeing why Waikīkī is the more accurate spelling.

The Kahakō (¯): The Mark You See in Waikīkī

The kahakō is a macron, a straight line placed over a vowel. Its job is simple but crucial: it tells you to elongate and add stress to that vowel sound.

• Without a kahakō, the vowel i is pronounced “ih” (like in “bit”).
• With a kahakō, the vowel ī is pronounced “ee” (like in “see”).
  This dramatically changes the pronunciation of the name.
• Waikiki (common) often gets mispronounced as “Wai-kih-kih.”
• Waikīkī (correct) guides you to the right pronunciation: “Wai-KEE-KEE.”
  The kahakō over both ‘i’s in the second half of the word is a direct instruction to stress and lengthen those sounds, shifting the rhythm and sound of the name to its authentic form.

The ʻOkina (ʻ): A Brief but Important Detour

You won’t find an ʻokina in the word Waikīkī, but it’s essential to know about it to understand Hawaiian spelling. The ʻokina looks like a reverse apostrophe and represents a glottal stop—a quick pause or break in sound.
Think of the sound in the middle of the English expression “uh-oh.” That slight catch in your throat between “uh” and “oh” is a glottal stop.
A perfect example is the island of Oʻahu. The ʻokina between the ‘O’ and ‘a’ tells you to pronounce it “oh-AH-hoo,” not “O-ah-hoo.” Forgetting the ʻokina is like forgetting the ‘t’ in “water”—it changes the word. While not present in Waikīkī, recognizing the ʻokina is part of respecting the language as a whole.

The Practical Playbook: When to Use Which Spelling

So, which spelling should you use? It all comes down to context. There’s no single “right” answer for every situation; the goal is to communicate clearly and respectfully.
Here’s a simple guide to help you decide.

A Note on Respect and Modern Usage

In recent years, there has been a powerful and successful movement in Hawaiʻi to restore the use of proper Hawaiian orthography in public life. The University of Hawaiʻi, state and county governments, and many local businesses now correctly use the ʻokina and kahakō in their official names and documents.
When you choose to use Waikīkī, you are participating in this important cultural revitalization. It’s a small gesture that signals a deeper level of engagement and respect for the place you are visiting or writing about.

How-To Guide: Typing Waikīkī Like a Pro

Typing the kahakō is much easier than you might think. You don’t need to copy and paste or find a special symbol every time. Here are the quick steps for any device.

On an iPhone or Android:

This is the easiest method. Simply press and hold the vowel you want to modify.

1. Open your keyboard and type ‘W-a-i-k’.
2. Press and hold the “i” key.
3. A small menu will pop up with accented versions of the letter.
4. Slide your finger to the ī and release.
5. Repeat for the final ī.

On a Mac:

Macs have built-in shortcuts for diacritics.

1. Hold down the Option key.
2. While holding Option, press the vowel you want to add the kahakō to. For example, Option + i = ī.

On a Windows PC:

Windows is a bit more complex, but still manageable.

• Method 1: Character Codes: Use the number pad (with Num Lock on) to enter specific codes. The code for ī is ALT + 0299.
• Method 2: Install a Hawaiian Keyboard: The most efficient long-term solution.

1. Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language.
2. Click Add a language and search for Hawaiian.
3. Install it. You can then switch between your English and Hawaiian keyboards using the language bar (usually in the bottom-right corner of your screen).
4. With the Hawaiian keyboard active, the right Alt key becomes a kahakō modifier. Simply press Right Alt + i to type ī.

Quick Answers to Common Spelling Questions

Is it wrong to spell it ‘Waikiki’?

No, it’s not “wrong,” especially in casual or logistical contexts. Waikiki is the accepted common spelling in English. However, Waikīkī is the linguistically and culturally correct spelling. Think of it as the difference between using a nickname and a full, formal name.

What is the dash in Waikīkī?

This is a frequent misconception. That line is not a dash or a hyphen; it is a kahakō (macron) placed directly over the vowel. Its purpose is purely phonetic—to signal that the vowel sound should be held longer.

Why do some Hawaiian names have an apostrophe, like O’ahu?

That mark is not an apostrophe; it’s an ʻokina, which represents a glottal stop (a brief pause in sound). The common apostrophe is a placeholder that became popular due to keyboard limitations, but the proper character is ʻ. Waikīkī does not have an ʻokina in its name.

Will my flight search fail if I use Waikīkī?

Most likely, yes. Airline, hotel, and rental car booking engines are built on databases that use the standard Latin alphabet. Using diacritical marks like the kahakō will almost certainly cause a search to fail or return no results. For any travel booking, always stick to Waikiki.

Spelling with Intent: Your Next Step

You now know more than just how to spell Waikiki—you understand the story behind the spelling. The choice between Waikiki and Waikīkī is a choice between function and precision, between common usage and cultural respect.
Moving forward, you can make that choice with confidence.

• Use Waikiki when booking your travel and for broad, international communication.
• Use Waikīkī when you want to be precise, show respect, and honor the beautiful language of Hawaiʻi.
  By understanding both, you’ve moved from being a tourist to a more thoughtful and informed traveler, one who appreciates that even in a simple name, there is a world of meaning.