Wilson

/ˈwɪlsən/

//ˈwɪlsən// name

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

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

The verdict

“Wilson” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,871. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,871
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An English, Scottish and northern Irish surname originating as a patronymic.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wilson · Wilson · English

Wilson · rank #2,871 · 9 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,871
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH unknown

Nearest frequency peer: unknown (-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 “Wilson”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Wilson” 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).

Wilson vs Wilton
83% similar
Wilson vs Winton
67% similar
Wilson vs Winston
71% similar

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

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

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Wilson”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Wilsonlands 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 “unknown” (#2,870), “wondering” (#2,872), “ultimate” (#2,869). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “Wilson” is #2,871. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Wilson (IPA /ˈwɪlsən/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #2,871 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 27 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Wilson, with forms such as "iwlson", "willson", and "wilosn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "Wilton", "Winton", "Winston", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Will (short form of William) + -son. The correct English form is Wilson, spelled W-I-L-S-O-N.

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
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  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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Rainn Wilson believes “The Office” would have to be different today.
  2. State and local leaders, including US Sen. Jeff Merkley, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, US Rep. Maxine Dexter and City Council members, urged the community to stay peaceful at a news conference on Friday night, according to CNN affiliate KPTV, after the city saw an increase in activity by federal agents.

Etymology

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

This word in other languages

Wilson(Français)Wilson(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwlson
  • willson
  • wilosn
  • wilsno
  • wilsonn
  • wilsson
  • wislon
  • wlison
  • wwilson

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Wilson - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

iwlson2willson1wilosn2wilsno2wilsonn1wilsson1wislon2wlison2
Edit distance from "Wilson"

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 "Wilson"?
"Wilson" is spelled W-I-L-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪlsən/.
What does "Wilson" mean?
As a proper noun, "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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Wilson", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Sydney#2,866stayed#2,864breath#2,880sample#2,859

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

battery9 variantsreform9 variantsEdward9 variantspounds9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list