# willow

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈwɪl.əʊ/ · frequency rank #11,497

## Definitions
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”).

## Easily confused with
- **Wills** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willow-vs-wills)
- **willy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willow-vs-willy)
- **window** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willow-vs-window)
- **Wilson** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willow-vs-wilson)
- **Wilton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willow-vs-wilton)
- **Wilmot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willow-vs-wilmot)
- **Winslow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willow-vs-winslow)
- **will** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/will-vs-willow)
- **widow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/widow-vs-willow)
- **Willa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willa-vs-willow)
- **Willi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willi-vs-willow)
- **willie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willie-vs-willow)
- **Willis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willis-vs-willow)
- **Wilcox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wilcox-vs-willow)
- **willed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willed-vs-willow)
- **wallow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wallow-vs-willow)
- **wallop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wallop-vs-willow)
- **Willey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/willey-vs-willow)

## Common misspellings (7)
`iwllow`, `willoww`, `willwo`, `wilolw`, `wilow`, `wlilow`, `wwillow`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/willow