voilà means lo, there it is; ta-da; presto; behold! It carries an Arena rating of 1633, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, voilà ranks #1,363 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,273 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #4,139 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,283 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
voilà is pronounced /vwæˈlɑː/.
Why “voilà” is a great word
Used to call attention to or express satisfaction with a completed task or revealed object. From French voilà, a contraction of vois (imperative of voir, 'to see') and là ('there'), literally meaning 'see there' or 'look there.' Unlike 'behold,' which strains for awe at a grand spectacle, or the playful fanfare of 'ta-da,' voilà is the quiet, practical flourish of a thing completed. It is the chef's knife sliding beneath a tart to reveal its perfect underside, the magician's empty hand opening to show the restored deck of cards, the friend who steps back to let you notice the newly alphabetized shelf. The word contains its own small theater: the satisfaction not of amazement, but of demonstration—the modest proof that something has been done, and here it is.
Etymology
Borrowed from French voilà.
intj
- Lo, there it is; ta-da; presto; behold!
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- ecce 67% match — an interjection used to draw attention to something or someone; behold! vs voilà →
- kazaam 53% match — Used to show that something appears by magic vs voilà →
- hoa 51% match — ho; hey; a call for attention vs voilà →
- oho 50% match — Expressing surprise or gloating realisation; aha. vs voilà →
- olé 50% match — An expression of excitement. Hooray! vs voilà →
- appearing 50% match — appearance; act of coming into view vs voilà →
- behold 49% match — To look at or see (someone or something), especially appreciatively; to descry, to look upon. vs voilà →
- thereat 49% match — There; at that place. vs voilà →