In a previous study [R. Sturm and J. Jakimik, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Suppl. 176, S29 (1984)], positive and negative effects of linguistic context on identification of whispered words were found. Relative to neutral contexts, appropriately biased contexts improved identification, whereas inappropriately biased contexts reduced correct identifications, and led to misperceptions, even for words accurately perceived in neutral contexts. The present study follows up on these results using more carefully controlled stimulus materials, and more sensitive response measures. Acoustically identical whispered words were presented in various contexts, and listeners rated their confidence in the words they identified. The accuracy and confidence results are examined to establish the scope of the effects of context. The implications of the findings for models of the integration of acoustic‐phonetic and higher‐level information in speech perception are discussed.