Which to use
“Wilkins” is a name and “willing” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,254
- “Wilkins” frequency rank
- #1,976
- “willing” frequency rank
- 21230
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Wilkins | willing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A surname originating as a patronymic. | Ready to do something, particularly something that requires change or effort; not objecting. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Wilkins and willing apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Wilkins is /ˈwɪlkɪnz/ while willing is /ˈwɪlɪŋ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21230, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Wilkins is recorded at frequency rank #19,254, classified as aname, pronounced /ˈwɪlkɪnz/. willing is at rank #1,976, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈwɪlɪŋ/.
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 21230, this pair ranks #425,399 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Wilkins vs willing
Shared letters: ilnw. Private to "Wilkins": ks. Private to "willing": g.
"Wilkins" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "willing" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Wilkins" and "willing" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Wilkins" or "willing"?
Remembering Wilkins vs willing
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Wilkins”; for an adjective, it's “willing”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Wilkins” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable