willow

Name: willow, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈwɪl.əʊ/

//ˈwɪl.əʊ// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“willow” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,497 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,497
frequency rank, English: 6
letters: 7
tracked misspellings: 18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 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.

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
Property	Value
Headword	willow
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈwɪl.əʊ/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#11,497
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	18
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “willow” 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). willow lands here:

#11,497

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for willow is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɪl.əʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,497 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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
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
The wood of these trees.
3
A cricket bat.
4
The baseball bat.
5
A rotating spiked drum used to open and clean cotton heads.

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.

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"?

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 “willow”

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

The one correct English spelling is W-I-L-L-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈwɪl.əʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “Wills” - see the side-by-side comparison. willow vs Wills
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

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.