badness

/ˈbæd.nəs/

//ˈbæd.nəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“badness” is uncommon English (frequency #54,634 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,634
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The quality or degree of being bad.

Corpus desk

Index EN-badness · badness · English

badness · rank #54,634 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,634
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH baccarat

Nearest frequency peer: baccarat (-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 “badness”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for badness
PropertyValue
Headwordbadness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæd.nəs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#54,634
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “badness” 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).badnessfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “baccarat” (#54,633), “bagger” (#54,636), “barmaid” (#54,637). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “badness” is #54,634. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

badness is uncommon English at frequency #54,634 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbæd.nəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The quality or degree of being bad.".

badness doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English baddenes, badnes, badnesse; equivalent to bad + -ness. The correct English form is badness, spelled B-A-D-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality or degree of being bad.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The badness of a dignitary harm derives from the victim's belief that a perpetrator is willing to override or ignore her standing as a person with rights, with dignity, as evidenced by the wrongful criminal deed; […]

Etymology

From Middle English baddenes, badnes, badnesse; equivalent to bad + -ness.

Synonyms

bad mannersbadnessdelinquencydevilishnessdevilmentdevilrydeviltrydisobedienceelfishnessgoings-onhanky-pankyimpishnessimproprietymisbehaviormischiefmischievousnessmisconductmisdemeanormonkey businessnaughtinessprankishnesspranksomenesspuckishnessrascalityrogueryroguishnessscampishnesswrongwrongness

Antonyms

goodness

This word in other languages

maldad(Español)Schlechtigkeit(Deutsch)maldade(Português)

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 "badness"?
"badness" is spelled B-A-D-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæd.nəs/.
What does "badness" mean?
As a noun, "badness" means: The quality or degree of being bad.
How do you pronounce "badness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "badness" is /ˈbæd.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 "badness"?
From Middle English baddenes, badnes, badnesse; equivalent to bad + -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 "badness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

barmaid#54,637beeline#54,641biofilm#54,646Ardmore#54,621

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list