unwilling

/ʌnˈwɪlɪŋ/

//ʌnˈwɪlɪŋ// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"unwilling" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unwilling” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,314. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,314
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not willing; reluctant

Corpus desk

Index EN-unwilling · unwilling · English

unwilling · rank #11,314 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,314
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH trousers

Nearest frequency peer: trousers (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “unwilling”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “unwilling” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

unwilling vs unwitting
78% similar
unwilling vs unwinding
78% similar
unwilling vs unwillingly
82% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for unwilling
PropertyValue
Headwordunwilling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈwɪlɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#11,314
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unwilling”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).unwillinglands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “trousers” (#11,313), “Uruguay” (#11,315), “trench” (#11,312). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unwilling” is #11,314. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around unwilling (IPA /ʌnˈwɪlɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,314 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Not willing; reluctant".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for unwilling, with forms such as "nuwilling", "uniwlling", and "unnwilling". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "unwitting", "unwinding", "unwillingly", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + willing. The correct English form is unwilling, spelled U-N-W-I-L-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not willing; reluctant

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how unwilling appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. an unwilling servant
  2. We are unwilling to restore his previous privileges after his betrayal of our trust.

Etymology

From un- + willing.

This word in other languages

imprestable(Español)réticent(Français)unwillig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nuwilling
  • uniwlling
  • unnwilling
  • unwililng
  • unwiling
  • unwillign
  • unwillingg
  • unwillinng
  • unwillnig
  • unwliling
  • unwwilling
  • uwnilling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unwilling - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nuwilling2uniwlling2unnwilling1unwililng2unwiling1unwillign2unwillingg1unwillinng1
Edit distance from "unwilling"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "unwilling"?
"unwilling" is spelled U-N-W-I-L-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈwɪlɪŋ/.
What does "unwilling" mean?
As an adjective, "unwilling" means: Not willing; reluctant
What words are commonly confused with "unwilling"?
"unwilling" is commonly confused with "unwitting", "unwinding", "unwillingly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "unwilling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unwilling" is /ʌnˈwɪlɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "unwilling"?
From un- + willing. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "unwilling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

treasures#11,311whichever#11,324stretches#11,302Bangalore#11,341

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

trousers12 variantsvalidity12 variantsvariants12 variantsstylish12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list