English Word Reference Free

wilson

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "wilson", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "wilson" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "wilson" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

Wilson is aEnglishname. It means: An English, Scottish and northern Irish surname originating as a patronymic. Pronounced /ˈwɪlsən/. It ranks #2,871 in English word frequency. Often confused with Wilton and Winton.

Key facts for Wilson
PropertyValue
HeadwordWilson
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechName
IPA/ˈwɪlsən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,871
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of Wilson in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Wilson is 6 letters long, classified as aname, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɪlsən/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,871 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 27 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for Wilson, with forms such as "iwlson", "willson", and "wilosn". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "Wilton", "Winton", "Winston", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Will (short form of William) + -son. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is Wilson, spelled W-I-L-S-O-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    An English, Scottish and northern Irish surname originating as a patronymic.
  2. 2
    A male given name transferred from the surname.
  3. 3
    A number of places in the United States:
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:
  6. 6
    A number of places in the United States:
  7. 7
    A number of places in the United States:
  8. 8
    A number of places in the United States:
  9. 9
    A number of places in the United States:
  10. 10
    A number of places in the United States:
  11. 11
    A number of places in the United States:
  12. 12
    A number of places in the United States:
  13. 13
    A number of places in the United States:
  14. 14
    A number of places in the United States:
  15. 15
    A number of places in the United States:
  16. 16
    A number of places in the United States:
  17. 17
    A number of places in the United States:
  18. 18
    A number of places in the United States:
  19. 19
    A number of places in the United States:
  20. 20
    A number of places in the United States:
  21. 21
    A number of places in the United States:
  22. 22
    A number of places in the United States:
  23. 23
    A number of places in the United States:
  24. 24
    A number of places in the United States:
  25. 25
    A small village in Breedon on the Hill parish, North West Leicestershire district, Leicestershire, England (OS grid ref SK4024).
  26. 26
    A locality in Kanyaka, South Australia.
  27. 27
    A suburb of Perth, in the City of Canning, Western Australia.

Etymology

From Will (short form of William) + -son.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iwlson,willson,wilosn,wilsno,wilsonn,wilsson,wislon,wlison,wwilson

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for Wilson

Misspelling Variants of "Wilson"

iwlson6willson7wilosn6wilsno6wilsonn7wilsson7wislon6wlison6
Misspelling Variants of "Wilson"

Frequency rank: #2,871 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Wilson"?
"Wilson" is spelled W-I-L-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪlsən/.
What does "Wilson" mean?
As a name, "Wilson" means: An English, Scottish and northern Irish surname originating as a patronymic.
What words are commonly confused with "Wilson"?
"Wilson" is commonly confused with "Wilton", "Winton", "Winston". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Wilson"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Wilson" is /ˈwɪlsən/. 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 "Wilson"?
From Will (short form of William) + -son. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter W in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.