willy
/ˈwɪli/adjective, noun, verb
willy is spelled W-I-L-L-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Willy, the name). As an adjective, willy means “Self-willed; willful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in willy?
| Letters | 5: W-I-L-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.1 times per million words; the 12,764th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is willy?
Willy appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Willy, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce willy?
- /ˈwɪli/
Willy has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-willie.ogg, En-au-willy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with willy
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: willey, willie, willow.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of willy
- willier comparative
- more willy comparative
- williest superlative
- most willy superlative
- willies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- willying participle, present
- willied participle, past
- willie
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does willy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
obsoleteWilling; favourable; ready; eager.
- 2
ScotlandUKSelf-willed; willful.
verb
- 1
To cleanse wool or cotton, etc. with a willy, or willow.
noun
- 1
UKA willow basket.
- 2
UKA fish basket.
- 3
AustraliaIrelandUKslangThe penis.
Little Johnny got his willy stuck in his zipper.
- 4
UKA term of abuse.
You're a big fat willy! So shut up!!
- 5
UKA person who is manipulated into serving as a useful agent without knowing it.
- 6
Alternative form of willow.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Willy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense The penis:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | zizi, quéquette |
| German | Pimmel, Schniedel, Pullermann |
| Portuguese | pirilau, pipi, bingola |
| Spanish | pilila, pito |
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 willy come from?
From Middle English willy, willi, equivalent to will + -y. Cognate with Dutch willig (“obedient, hearsome”), German willig (“willing”), Swedish villig (“willing, agreeable”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).