Which to use
“wilful” and “willful” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,689
- “wilful” frequency rank
- #26,308
- “willful” frequency rank
- 64997
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wilful | willful |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Intentional; deliberate. | American standard spelling of wilful. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wilful and willful apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
wilful and willful are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wilful is recorded at frequency rank #38,689, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈwɪlfʊl/. willful is at rank #26,308, tagged as anadj.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 64997, this pair ranks #74,919 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of wilful vs willful
Shared letters: filuw. Private to "wilful": -. Private to "willful": -.
"wilful" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "willful" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wilful" and "willful" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "wilful" or "willful"?
Remembering wilful vs willful
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “wilful” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable