willingly
will·ing·ly/ˈwɪlɪŋli/adverb
willingly is spelled W-I-L-L-I-N-G-L-Y: 9 letters and 3 syllables (will·ing·ly). It appears 3.8 times per million words in written English, the 13,321st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, willingly means “Of one’s own free will; freely and spontaneously” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in willingly?
| Letters | 9: W-I-L-L-I-N-G-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: will·ing·ly |
| In writing | 3.8 times per million words; the 13,321st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is willingly?
Willingly appears 3.8 times per million words in written English, the 13,321st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce willingly?
- /ˈwɪlɪŋli/
Willingly has 3 syllables, split will·ing·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-willingly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of willingly
- more willingly comparative
- most willingly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does willingly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Of one’s own free will; freely and spontaneously.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Willingly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of one’s own free will:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | volontiers |
| German | gern, gerne |
| Portuguese | de boa vontade |
| Spanish | de buena gana, gustosamente, a solaz, de gana, buenamente, de buena voluntad |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does willingly come from?
From Middle English willyngly, wyllyngly (“intentionally, deliverately; freely, gladly”), from Old English willendlīċe (“diligently”), equivalent to willing + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).