willow

/ˈwɪl.əʊ/

//ˈwɪl.əʊ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“willow” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,497. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,497
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs in the genus Salix, in the willow family Salicaceae, found primarily on moist soils in cooler zones in the northern hemisphere.

Corpus desk

Index EN-willow · willow · English

willow · rank #11,497 · 7 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,497
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Willis

Nearest frequency peer: Willis (-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 “willow”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “willow” 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).

willow vs Wills
50% similar
willow vs willy
67% similar
willow vs window
67% similar

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

Key facts for willow
PropertyValue
Headwordwillow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪl.əʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,497
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “willow”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).willowlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Willis” (#11,496), “weighs” (#11,495), “addict” (#11,499). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “willow” is #11,497. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around willow (IPA /ˈwɪl.əʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,497 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for willow, with forms such as "iwllow", "willoww", and "willwo". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "Wills", "willy", "window", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wilwe, welew, variant of wilghe, from Old English welig, from Proto-West Germanic *wilig, from Proto-Germanic *wiligaz, from Proto-Indo-European *welik- (compare (Arcadian) Ancient Greek ἑλίκη (helíkē), Hittite 𒌑𒂖𒆪 (welku, “grass”)), … The correct English form is willow, spelled W-I-L-L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs in the genus Salix, in the willow family Salicaceae, found primarily on moist soils in cooler zones in the northern hemisphere.
  2. 2
    The wood of these trees.
  3. 3
    A cricket bat.
  4. 4
    The baseball bat.
  5. 5
    A rotating spiked drum used to open and clean cotton heads.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] and through the middle of this forest, from wall to wall, ran a winding line of brilliant green which marked the course of cottonwoods and willows.
  2. And willows, willow-herb, and grass, / And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry, / No whit less still and lonely fair / Than the high cloudlets in the sky.

Etymology

From Middle English wilwe, welew, variant of wilghe, from Old English welig, from Proto-West Germanic *wilig, from Proto-Germanic *wiligaz, from Proto-Indo-European *welik- (compare (Arcadian) Ancient Greek ἑλίκη (helíkē), Hittite 𒌑𒂖𒆪 (welku, “grass”)), from *wel- (“twist, turn”).

Synonyms

withy

This word in other languages

sauce(Español)saule(Français)Weide(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwllow
  • willoww
  • willwo
  • wilolw
  • wilow
  • wlilow
  • wwillow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of willow - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

iwllow2willoww1willwo2wilolw2wilow1wlilow2wwillow1
Edit distance from "willow"

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 "willow"?
"willow" is spelled W-I-L-L-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪl.əʊ/.
What does "willow" mean?
As a noun, "willow" means: Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs in the genus Salix, in the willow family Salicaceae, found primarily on moist soils in cooler zones in the northern hemisphere.
What words are commonly confused with "willow"?
"willow" is commonly confused with "Wills", "willy", "window". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "willow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "willow" is /ˈwɪl.əʊ/. 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 "willow"?
From Middle English wilwe, welew, variant of wilghe, from Old English welig, from Proto-West Germanic *wilig, from Proto-Germanic *wiligaz, from Proto-Indo-European *welik- (compare (Arcadian) Ancient Greek ἑλίκη (helíkē), Hittite 𒌑𒂖𒆪 (welku, “... 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 "willow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Willis#11,496addict#11,499weighs#11,495truths#11,487

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

wasnt7 variantstroop7 variantstrait7 variantstitan7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list