arbitrariness

noun

"arbitrariness" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“arbitrariness” is uncommon English (frequency #81,118 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,118
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The quality or state of being arbitrary; the extent to which something is arbitrary.

Corpus desk

Index EN-arbitrariness · arbitrariness · English

arbitrariness · rank #81,118 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,118
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH arachidonic

Nearest frequency peer: arachidonic (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “arbitrariness”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “arbitrariness” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for arbitrariness
PropertyValue
Headwordarbitrariness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Frequency rank#81,118
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “arbitrariness” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “arachidonic” (#81,117), “Arezzo” (#81,119), “argosy” (#81,120). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “arbitrariness” is #81,118. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

arbitrariness is uncommon English at frequency #81,118 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The quality or state of being arbitrary; the extent to which something is arbitrary.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for arbitrariness in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From arbitrary + -ness. The correct English form is arbitrariness, spelled A-R-B-I-T-R-A-R-I-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality or state of being arbitrary; the extent to which something is arbitrary.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Passion, providence, and imitation are conventionally the respective ruling forces of these three processes. Yet to take them at face value, as an innocent reading of the poem might advise, would be to betray Garcilaso’s own efforts, in this sonnet and elsewhere, to expose the arbitrariness of grandiose idealist concepts such as Platonic love and providen…

Etymology

From arbitrary + -ness.

Synonyms

arbitrarity

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); 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 "arbitrariness"?
"arbitrariness" is spelled A-R-B-I-T-R-A-R-I-N-E-S-S.
What does "arbitrariness" mean?
As a noun, "arbitrariness" means: The quality or state of being arbitrary; the extent to which something is arbitrary.
What is the origin of the word "arbitrariness"?
From arbitrary + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "arbitrariness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list