darkness

/ˈdɑːknəs/

//ˈdɑːknəs// noun

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

"darkness" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“darkness” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,294 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,294
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state of being dark; lack of light; the absolute or comparative absence of light.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

darkness vs dryness
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for darkness
PropertyValue
Headworddarkness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɑːknəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#4,294
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “darkness” 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). darkness 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 darkness is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɑːknəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,294 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for darkness, with forms such as "adrkness", "dakrness", and "darkenss". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "dryness", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English derknesse, from Old English deorcnes; equivalent to dark + -ness. The correct English form is darkness, spelled D-A-R-K-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being dark; lack of light; the absolute or comparative absence of light.
  2. 2
    The state or quality of reflecting little light, of tending to a blackish or brownish color.
  3. 3
    Any space that such colour pervades.
  4. 4
    Gloom; gloominess; depression.
  5. 5
    The product of being dark.
  6. 6
    Lack of understanding or compassion; spiritual or mental blindness.
  7. 7
    Secrecy; concealment.
  8. 8
    Lack of knowledge; obscurity or meaning or intelligibility; the unknown.
  9. 9
    Nothingness, vanity, emptiness.
  10. 10
    Hell.

Etymology

From Middle English derknesse, from Old English deorcnes; equivalent to dark + -ness.

Synonyms

dark

Antonyms

lightnesslight

This word in other languages

oscuridad(Español)obscurité(Français)Dunkelheit(Deutsch)escuridão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: adrkness,dakrness,darkenss,darkkness,darknes,darknness,darknses,darnkess,darrkness,ddarkness,drakness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of darkness - 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.

adrkness2dakrness2darkenss2darkkness1darknes1darknness1darknses2darnkess2
Edit distance from "darkness"

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 "darkness"?
"darkness" is spelled D-A-R-K-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɑːknəs/.
What does "darkness" mean?
As a noun, "darkness" means: The state of being dark; lack of light; the absolute or comparative absence of light.
What words are commonly confused with "darkness"?
"darkness" is commonly confused with "dryness". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "darkness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "darkness" is /ˈdɑːknəs/. 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 "darkness"?
From Middle English derknesse, from Old English deorcnes; equivalent to dark + -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.

Using “darkness”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-A-R-K-N-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdɑːknəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “dryness” - see the side-by-side comparison. darkness vs dryness
  • 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