willing

/ˈwɪlɪŋ/

//ˈwɪlɪŋ// adj

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

"willing" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“willing” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,976. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,976
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Ready to do something, particularly something that requires change or effort; not objecting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-willing · willing · English

willing · rank #1,976 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,976
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH watched

Nearest frequency peer: watched (-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 “willing”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “willing” 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).

willing vs Willis
57% similar
willing vs wiring
71% similar
willing vs wiping
71% similar

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

Key facts for willing
PropertyValue
Headwordwilling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈwɪlɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,976
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “willing”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).willinglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “watched” (#1,975), “windows” (#1,977), “valley” (#1,974). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “willing” is #1,976. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around willing (IPA /ˈwɪlɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,976 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Ready to do something, particularly something that requires change or effort; not objecting.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for willing, with forms such as "iwlling", "wililng", and "wiling". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Willis", "wiring", "wiping", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: * (adjective): Old English willende, present participle of willan * (noun): Old English willung, from willian By surface analysis, will + -ing. The correct English form is willing, spelled W-I-L-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ready to do something, particularly something that requires change or effort; not objecting.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If my boyfriend isn't willing to change his drinking habits, I will split up with him.
  2. In the eyes of Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke the apotheosis of the Celebrity was complete. The people of Asquith were not only willing to attend the house-warming, but had been worked up to the pitch of eagerness. The Celebrity as a matter of course was master of ceremonies.

Etymology

* (adjective): Old English willende, present participle of willan * (noun): Old English willung, from willian By surface analysis, will + -ing.

Synonyms

agreeableagreeingconsentingvoluntary

This word in other languages

dispuesto(Español)volontaire(Français)willens(Deutsch)disposto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwlling
  • wililng
  • wiling
  • willign
  • willingg
  • willinng
  • willnig
  • wliling
  • wwilling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

iwlling2wililng2wiling1willign2willingg1willinng1willnig2wliling2
Edit distance from "willing"

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 "willing"?
"willing" is spelled W-I-L-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪlɪŋ/.
What does "willing" mean?
As an adjective, "willing" means: Ready to do something, particularly something that requires change or effort; not objecting.
What words are commonly confused with "willing"?
"willing" is commonly confused with "Willis", "wiring", "wiping". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "willing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "willing" is /ˈwɪlɪŋ/. 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 "willing"?
* (adjective): Old English willende, present participle of willan * (noun): Old English willung, from willian By surface analysis, will + -ing. 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 "willing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

watched#1,975windows#1,977session#1,966quarter#1,963

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

toward9 variantsawards9 variantsproper9 variantsprince9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list