absent-mindedness
/ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs/
"absent-mindedness" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“absent-mindedness” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 17
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The characteristic or state of being easily distracted or preoccupied.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | absent-mindedness |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs/ |
| Letters | 17 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “absent-mindedness” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for absent-mindedness is 17 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The characteristic or state of being easily distracted or preoccupied.".
absent-mindedness doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From absent-minded + -ness. The correct English form is absent-mindedness, spelled A-B-S-E-N-T---M-I-N-D-E-D-N-E-S-S.
Definition
- 1The characteristic or state of being easily distracted or preoccupied.
Etymology
From absent-minded + -ness.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “absent-mindedness”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-B-S-E-N-T---M-I-N-D-E-D-N-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.