airless

/ˈɛə.ləs/

//ˈɛə.ləs// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"airless" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“airless” is an uncommon English word, ranked #65,679 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#65,679
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lacking or being without air.

Key facts for airless
PropertyValue
Headwordairless
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɛə.ləs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#65,679
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “airless” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). airless lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for airless is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛə.ləs/. Corpus data places it at rank #65,679 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for airless, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From air + -less. The correct English form is airless, spelled A-I-R-L-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lacking or being without air.
  2. 2
    Lacking air circulation.
  3. 3
    With air that is stale.
  4. 4
    Suffering from asphyxia.
  5. 5
    Stifling; dead; lacking vitality or excitement.

Etymology

From air + -less.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "airless"?
"airless" is spelled A-I-R-L-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛə.ləs/.
What does "airless" mean?
As an adjective, "airless" means: Lacking or being without air.
How do you pronounce "airless"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "airless" is /ˈɛə.ləs/. 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 "airless"?
From air + -less. 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.

Using “airless”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-I-R-L-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɛə.ləs/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list