Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wilfully

/ˈwɪlfəli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.67 in modern English

Syllables
wil-ful-ly
IPA
/ˈwɪlfəli/
17
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

Willingly, of one's own free will.

Obsolete

adv

Deliberately, on purpose.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Old English wilfullīċe, corresponding to wilful + -ly.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: wilfullīċe

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /ˈwɪlfəli/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more wilfully (comparative) most wilfully (superlative) willfully (alternative, US)

Synonyms

willfully

Rhymes With

willfully skillfully

Questions

How do you pronounce wilfully?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɪlfəli/.
What does wilfully mean?
Willingly, of one's own free will.
Where does wilfully come from?
It is traced to Old English.

How to pronounce wilfully

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wilfully”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwɪlfəli/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “wilfully”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “wilfully” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.