absent-mindedness

/ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs/

//ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs// noun

"absent-mindedness" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“absent-mindedness” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
17
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The characteristic or state of being easily distracted or preoccupied.

Corpus desk

Index EN-absent-mindedness · absent-mindedness · English

absent-mindedness · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 17 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for absent-mindedness
PropertyValue
Headwordabsent-mindedness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs/
Letters17
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “absent-mindedness” in English

absent-mindednessranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

absent-mindedness is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "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

  1. 1
    The characteristic or state of being easily distracted or preoccupied.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I don't mean to make mistakes; it's just absent-mindedness.
  2. For six years they had taken care of him and loved him—watched over his outgoings and his incomings and forgiven all his absent-mindednesses.

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

How do you spell "absent-mindedness"?
"absent-mindedness" is spelled A-B-S-E-N-T---M-I-N-D-E-D-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs/.
What does "absent-mindedness" mean?
As a noun, "absent-mindedness" means: The characteristic or state of being easily distracted or preoccupied.
How do you pronounce "absent-mindedness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "absent-mindedness" is /ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs/. 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 "absent-mindedness"?
From absent-minded + -ness. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list