voilà

interjection

voi·​là vwä-ˈlä 

 nonstandard  wä-

variants or voila

—used to call attention, to express satisfaction or approval, or to suggest an appearance as if by magic

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Vwa-Lah, Wa-Lah, Wa-La: The Many Misspellings of Voilà

Voilà is a French borrowing into English that has mostly retained its Francophonic pronunciation: \vwä-ˈlä\, or \vwah-LAH\. It is clear that the \v\ in the pronunciation of voilà is sometimes not heard, and this, combined with the mismatch between voilà’s spelling and pronunciation, has led to a number of misspellings of the word based on its pronunciation. We have seen evidence for vwa-lah, vwah-la, wa-lah, wa-la, wah-lah, wallah, and even viola (for those who remember the letters in the word, if not the particular order of them). While these misspellings are more common in informal writing, we have started seeing them in newspapers and other edited sources as well. The correct spelling is voilà: if you have a hard time remembering how to spell it, you can use the mnemonic that voilà very often is misspelled.

Examples of voilà in a Sentence

Students would take notes on their laptops in class, then take their laptops home and do their homework on them. To turn in an assignment, they would simply drag and drop it into the appropriate folder, where the teacher could wirelessly retrieve it. Voilà: the paperless classroom. —Lev Grossman, Time, 3 Nov. 2003

Why interview people when you can simply hop on the computer, type in some search terms, and, voilà, reportage? —New Republic, 18 Oct. 1999

Because you received the above message from a familiar colleague, you are less suspicious; intrigued by his message, you click on the attached … file to see what he is talking about. A fake error message is displayed, and voila! You are now infected, too! —Richard Peters et al., Science, 16 July 1999

Beans, meat, seasonings, and voilà—cassoulet. —Elizabeth Sahatjian, Elle, January 1988

Recent Examples on the Web

Search by hobby type and, voila, back to being a real-life human! —Sam Saideman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024

So, voila, here it was given an ironic nod, over some rather nice sportif purses of her own design. —Mark Holgate, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2024

To add a touch of everyday luxury to your shower routine, follow this advice: Grab a wicker basket, carefully roll these towels, place them on a vanity shelf, and et voila! —Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 26 June 2024

And, voila, Werth has a horse, Dornoch, in the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024

Just drop in some cash, spin the reels, and voila – instant riches! —Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024

To achieve this commanding new hue, De Bethune’s workshops served as a laboratory of experimentation where particles became luminous, metals emitted visible light, matter oxidized, properties changed, surfaces transformed, and unprecedented natural colors appeared—voila! —Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024

In fact, look up at the top of this column, and — voila! —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

After lathering, sit with the beer-egg mixture soaking your hair for five minutes and then rinse thoroughly—voila! —Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, see there

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above