colourless

/ˈkʌlə(ɹ).ləs/

//ˈkʌlə(ɹ).ləs// adj

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

"colourless" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“colourless” is an uncommon English word, ranked #52,229 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#52,229
frequency rank, English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having little or no colour.

Key facts for colourless
PropertyValue
Headwordcolourless
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkʌlə(ɹ).ləs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#52,229
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “colourless” 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). colourless 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 colourless is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkʌlə(ɹ).ləs/. Corpus data places it at rank #52,229 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

colourless doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From colour + -less. The correct English form is colourless, spelled C-O-L-O-U-R-L-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having little or no colour.
  2. 2
    Water white.
  3. 3
    Lacking in interest or variety.
  4. 4
    Neutral in opinion or allegiance; centrist

Etymology

From colour + -less.

This word in other languages

incoloro(Español)incolore(Français)farblos(Deutsch)

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 "colourless"?
"colourless" is spelled C-O-L-O-U-R-L-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʌlə(ɹ).ləs/.
What does "colourless" mean?
As an adjective, "colourless" means: Having little or no colour.
How do you pronounce "colourless"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "colourless" is /ˈkʌlə(ɹ).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 "colourless"?
From colour + -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 “colourless”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-L-O-U-R-L-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkʌlə(ɹ).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