# will

> English word · Verb · IPA /wɪl/ · frequency rank #40

## Definitions
1. Used to express the future tense, sometimes with an implication of volition or determination when used in the first person. Compare shall.
2. To be able to, to have the capacity to.
3. Expressing a present tense or perfect tense with some conditional or subjective weakening: "will turn out to", "must by inference".
4. To habitually do (a given action).
5. To choose or agree to (do something); used to express intention but without any temporal connotations, often in questions and negation.
6. To wish, desire (something).
7. To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that).
8. Implying will go.

## Etymology
From Middle English willen, wullen, wollen, from Old English willan (“to want”), from Proto-West Germanic *willjan, from Proto-Germanic *wiljaną, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose, wish”).
Cognates
Cognate with Yola ill, weel, well, will, woul, wull (“will”), North Frisian wale, wel (“to want”), Saterland Frisian and West Frisian wolle (“to want”), Alemannic German and Central Franconian welle (“to want”), Cimbrian béllan, bölln (“to want”), Dutch willen (“to want”), German wollen (“to want”), Low German wüllen (“to want; will”), Luxembourgish wëllen (“to want”), Yiddish וועלן (veln, “to want”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ville (“to want”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish vilja (“to want”), Jamtish vili (“to want; wish”), Norwegian Nynorsk vilja, vilje (“want; will”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wiljan, “to want”); also Latin velle (“wish”, verb), voleō, volo (“to please, to wish; to want”), French vouloir (“to want”), Italian volere (“to want”), Irish fleá, fleadh (“feast”), Scottish Gaelic fleadh (“feast”), Welsh gwledd (“banquet, feast”), Lithuanian viltis (“to hope; to rely; to expect”), Czech velet (“to command”), volit (“to choose; to elect”), Polish woleć (“to prefer”), Russian во́ля (vólja, “freedom”), во́льный (vólʹnyj, “free”), веле́ть (velétʹ, “to command, to enjoin, to order”), Ukrainian воля (volja, “freedom, liberty, will”), вільний (vilʹnyj, “free”), веліти (velity, “to will, to order, to command”), воліти (volity, “to will, to prefer”), Old Armenian գեղձ (gełj, “desire, wish”), Sanskrit वृणीते (vṛṇīte), वृणोति (vṛṇoti, “to choose”). The verb is not always distinguishable from Etymology 3, below.
(indicating future action): Compare typologically Bulgarian ще (šte), Macedonian ќе (ḱe), Serbo-Croatian хтети (< Proto-Slavic *xotěti).

## Easily confused with
- **WL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wl)
- **win** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-win)
- **wit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wit)
- **wis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wis)
- **wiz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wiz)
- **wim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wim)
- **with** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-with)
- **wish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wish)
- **wind** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wind)
- **wine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wine)
- **wins** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wins)
- **wing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wing)
- **wise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wise)
- **wire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wire)
- **wolf** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wolf)
- **wipe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wipe)
- **wool** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wool)
- **wink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wink)
- **wits** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wits)
- **wilt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-wilt)

## Common misspellings (4)
`iwll`, `wil`, `wlil`, `wwill`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/will