awkwardness

noun

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

"awkwardness" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“awkwardness” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,824. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,824
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state or quality of being awkward; clumsiness; unskillfulness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-awkwardness · awkwardness · English

awkwardness · rank #28,824 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,824
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH authoritarian…

Nearest frequency peer: authoritarianism (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “awkwardness”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “awkwardness” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for awkwardness
PropertyValue
Headwordawkwardness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Frequency rank#28,824
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “awkwardness”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “authoritarianism” (#28,823), “bab” (#28,825), “austere” (#28,822). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “awkwardness” is #28,824. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around awkwardness, anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,824 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for awkwardness, with forms such as "akwwardness", "awkawrdness", and "awkkwardness". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From awkward + -ness. The correct English form is awkwardness, spelled A-W-K-W-A-R-D-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or quality of being awkward; clumsiness; unskillfulness.
  2. 2
    The quality of an embarrassing situation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. […] instead of the joyous voices of his playfellows he hears the rough commands of an unindulgent master or a scolding mistress; — he is continually reproached for his awkwardness and timidity, and reminded of his pauper origin.

Etymology

From awkward + -ness.

Synonyms

clunkinessclumsinessdiscomfitureineptnessineptitudeinelegance

This word in other languages

torpeza(Español)maladresse(Français)Unbeholfenheit(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • akwwardness
  • awkawrdness
  • awkkwardness
  • awkwadrness
  • awkwarddness
  • awkwardenss
  • awkwardnes
  • awkwardnness
  • awkwardnses
  • awkwarndess
  • awkwarrdness
  • awkwradness
  • awkwwardness
  • awwkardness
  • awwkwardness
  • wakwardness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of awkwardness - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

akwwardness2awkawrdness2awkkwardness1awkwadrness2awkwarddness1awkwardenss2awkwardnes1awkwardnness1
Edit distance from "awkwardness"

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 "awkwardness"?
"awkwardness" is spelled A-W-K-W-A-R-D-N-E-S-S.
What does "awkwardness" mean?
As a noun, "awkwardness" means: The state or quality of being awkward; clumsiness; unskillfulness.
What are common misspellings of "awkwardness"?
Common misspellings include "akwwardness", "awkawrdness", "awkkwardness", "awkwadrness", "awkwarddness". The correct spelling is "awkwardness".
What is the origin of the word "awkwardness"?
From awkward + -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 "awkwardness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

backpacking#28,827uninhabited#28,778consignment#28,878criminology#28,884

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

Chichester16 variantssharpening16 variantsprincipled16 variantsPleistocene16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list