willet

noun

"willet" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“willet” is uncommon English (frequency #73,800 among 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,800
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tringa semipalmata (or formerly Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), a large shorebird in the family Scolopacidae.

Key facts for willet
PropertyValue
Headwordwillet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters6
Frequency rank#73,800
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “willet” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

willet is uncommon English at frequency #73,800 among 12,113 “W” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Tringa semipalmata (or formerly Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), a large shorebird in the family Scolopacidae.".

Zero misspellings are on record for willet in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Onomatopoeic, from the bird's cry ("pill-will-willet"). The correct English form is willet, spelled W-I-L-L-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tringa semipalmata (or formerly Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), a large shorebird in the family Scolopacidae.

Etymology

Onomatopoeic, from the bird's cry ("pill-will-willet").

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 "willet"?
"willet" is spelled W-I-L-L-E-T.
What does "willet" mean?
As a noun, "willet" means: Tringa semipalmata (or formerly Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), a large shorebird in the family Scolopacidae.
What is the origin of the word "willet"?
Onomatopoeic, from the bird's cry ("pill-will-willet"). 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.

Using “willet”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is W-I-L-L-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list