<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0202</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>4</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2006-12-15</periodOfReport>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0000783325</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>WISCONSIN ENERGY CORP</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>WEC</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001278949</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>RAPPE KRISTINE A</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>231 WEST MICHIGAN STREET</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>MILWAUKEE,</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>WI</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>53203</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>1</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>0</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle>Sr. VP, Chief Admin. Officer</officerTitle>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <nonDerivativeTable>
        <nonDerivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2006-12-15</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>F</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>5</value>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <value>40.23</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>D</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>7601</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F2"/>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value></value>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
        <nonDerivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2006-12-15</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>D</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>339</value>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <footnoteId id="F3"/>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>D</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>7262</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F2"/>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value></value>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
        <nonDerivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>6726</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F4"/>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>I</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value>ERSP</value>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeHolding>
    </nonDerivativeTable>

    <derivativeTable>
        <derivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Phantom Stock Units</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <footnoteId id="F5"/>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2006-12-15</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>A</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>339</value>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <footnoteId id="F3"/>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>A</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <exerciseDate>
                <footnoteId id="F6"/>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <footnoteId id="F6"/>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>339</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>8438</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F7"/>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value></value>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeTransaction>
    </derivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">Certain shares of restricted stock granted in 1999, the award of which was previously reported, vested on January 18, 2006 pursuant to their terms upon the achievement by WEC of a pre-established earnings per share target.  Due to clerical error, WEC inadvertantly missed such vesting and never released the shares to the reporting person.  The reported price represents the fair market value of WEC common stock on January 18, 2006,  the date on which the Compensation Committee of the WEC Board of Directors validated WEC's earnings per share for 2005 that satisfied the earnings per share target and resulted in the vesting of the shares.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">Includes shares acquired pursuant to a dividend reinvestment feature of Wisconsin Energy Corporation's Stock Plus Investment Plan in transactions exempt from Section 16 pursuant to Rule 16a-11.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F3">Upon the vesting of restricted stock granted to the reporting person in 1999, the reporting person deferred the receipt of 339 shares of common stock and received instead 339 phantom stock units pursuant to the WEC Executive Deferred Compensation Plan (EDCP).  As a result, the reporting person is reporting the disposition of 339 shares of common stock in exhange for an equal number of phantom stock units.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F4">Includes shares acquired under Wisconsin Energy Corporation's Employee Retirement Savings Plan (ERSP) in transactions exempt from Section 16(b) pursuant to Rule 16b-3(c) and exempt from reporting pursuant to Rule 16a-3(f)(1)(i)(B).  The number of shares in the ERSP attributable to any one participant varies with the price of the Common Stock.  The information in this report is based on a plan statement dated as of November 30, 2006.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F5">One-for-one.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F6">These phantom stock units were accrued under the EDCP and are to be settled following the reporting person's retirement or other termination of employment.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F7">Includes phantom stock units accrued pursuant to a dividend reinvestment feature of the EDCP in transactions exempt from Section 16 pursuant to Rule 16a-11.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <remarks></remarks>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>\s\ Joshua M. Erickson, as Attorney-in-Fact</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2006-12-19</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
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X0202
4
2006-12-15
0000783325
WISCONSIN ENERGY CORP
WEC
0001278949
RAPPE KRISTINE A
231 WEST MICHIGAN STREET
MILWAUKEE,
WI
53203
0
1
0
0
Sr. VP, Chief Admin. Officer
Common Stock
2006-12-15
4
F
0
5
40.23
D
7601
D
Common Stock
2006-12-15
4
D
0
339
D
7262
D
Common Stock
6726
I
ERSP
Phantom Stock Units
2006-12-15
4
A
0
339
A
Common Stock
339
8438
D
Certain shares of restricted stock granted in 1999, the award of which was previously reported, vested on January 18, 2006 pursuant to their terms upon the achievement by WEC of a pre-established earnings per share target.  Due to clerical error, WEC inadvertantly missed such vesting and never released the shares to the reporting person.  The reported price represents the fair market value of WEC common stock on January 18, 2006,  the date on which the Compensation Committee of the WEC Board of Directors validated WEC's earnings per share for 2005 that satisfied the earnings per share target and resulted in the vesting of the shares.
Includes shares acquired pursuant to a dividend reinvestment feature of Wisconsin Energy Corporation's Stock Plus Investment Plan in transactions exempt from Section 16 pursuant to Rule 16a-11.
Upon the vesting of restricted stock granted to the reporting person in 1999, the reporting person deferred the receipt of 339 shares of common stock and received instead 339 phantom stock units pursuant to the WEC Executive Deferred Compensation Plan (EDCP).  As a result, the reporting person is reporting the disposition of 339 shares of common stock in exhange for an equal number of phantom stock units.
Includes shares acquired under Wisconsin Energy Corporation's Employee Retirement Savings Plan (ERSP) in transactions exempt from Section 16(b) pursuant to Rule 16b-3(c) and exempt from reporting pursuant to Rule 16a-3(f)(1)(i)(B).  The number of shares in the ERSP attributable to any one participant varies with the price of the Common Stock.  The information in this report is based on a plan statement dated as of November 30, 2006.
One-for-one.
These phantom stock units were accrued under the EDCP and are to be settled following the reporting person's retirement or other termination of employment.
Includes phantom stock units accrued pursuant to a dividend reinvestment feature of the EDCP in transactions exempt from Section 16 pursuant to Rule 16a-11.
\s\ Joshua M. Erickson, as Attorney-in-Fact
2006-12-19