Willie or willy?
willie is a noun meaning “Alternative spelling of willy”; willy is a noun meaning “A willow basket”. Wiktionary gives them as spellings of the same word. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) willie is about 1.9 times as common as willy.
What is the difference between willie and willy?
| willie | willy | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | adjective, noun, verb |
| Meaning | Alternative spelling of willy | ScotlandUKSelf-willed; willful To cleanse wool or cotton, etc. with a willy, or willow UKA willow basket |
| Example | none recorded | Little Johnny got his willy stuck in his zipper |
| Forms | willies | willies |
| Pronunciation | /ˈwɪli/ | /ˈwɪli/ |
| In writing | 7.8 times per million words | 4.1 times per million words |
Sources: willie and willy in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of willie and willy
willie
- 1
Alternative spelling of willy
willy
- 1
ScotlandUKSelf-willed; willful
- 2
Alternative form of willow
- 3
To cleanse wool or cotton, etc. with a willy, or willow
- 4
UKA willow basket
- 5
AustraliaIrelandUKslangThe penis
Little Johnny got his willy stuck in his zipper
- 6
UKA person who is manipulated into serving as a useful agent without knowing it
- 7
UKA fish basket
- 8
UKA term of abuse
You're a big fat willy! So shut up!!
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, willie or willy?
willie appears 7.8 times per million words; willy 4.1 times per million words.
willie 7.8 times per million wordswilly 4.1 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).