foolishness

/ˈfuːlɪʃnəs/

//ˈfuːlɪʃnəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“foolishness” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,797. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,797
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being foolish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-foolishness · foolishness · English

foolishness · rank #26,797 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,797
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH foodie

Nearest frequency peer: foodie (-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 “foolishness”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “foolishness” 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 foolishness
PropertyValue
Headwordfoolishness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfuːlɪʃnəs/
Letters11
Frequency rank#26,797
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “foolishness”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).foolishnesslands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “foodie” (#26,796), “flutter” (#26,795), “foundational” (#26,799). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “foolishness” is #26,797. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around foolishness (IPA /ˈfuːlɪʃnəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,797 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for foolishness, with forms such as "ffoolishness", "folishness", and "foloishness". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. 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 Middle English folishnesse, follissnesse, equivalent to foolish + -ness. The correct English form is foolishness, spelled F-O-O-L-I-S-H-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being foolish.
  2. 2
    A thing or event that is foolish, or an absurdity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. On page 297 [“Queens Not Balled Thru Robbers”], that quotation from a foreign bee-paper, about the foolishness of thinking that robber-bees ball a queen, is probably all right in the main. Robbers are indeed there for honey—not for reginacide—but perchance no one interferes, and after awhile the honey is gone, and the hive is filled with a miscellaneous c…

Etymology

From Middle English folishnesse, follissnesse, equivalent to foolish + -ness.

Synonyms

imprudencefollyextravaganceirresponsibilityindiscretionabsurdityridiculousnessschmuckinessstupidity

Antonyms

wisdom

This word in other languages

necedad(Español)folie(Français)Torheit(Deutsch)tolice(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffoolishness
  • folishness
  • foloishness
  • fooilshness
  • foolihsness
  • foolishenss
  • foolishhness
  • foolishnes
  • foolishnness
  • foolishnses
  • foolisnhess
  • foolisshness
  • foollishness
  • foolsihness
  • ofolishness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of foolishness - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ffoolishness1folishness1foloishness2fooilshness2foolihsness2foolishenss2foolishhness1foolishnes1
Edit distance from "foolishness"

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 "foolishness"?
"foolishness" is spelled F-O-O-L-I-S-H-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfuːlɪʃnəs/.
What does "foolishness" mean?
As a noun, "foolishness" means: The state of being foolish.
What are common misspellings of "foolishness"?
Common misspellings include "ffoolishness", "folishness", "foloishness", "fooilshness", "foolihsness". The correct spelling is "foolishness".
How do you pronounce "foolishness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foolishness" is /ˈfuːlɪʃnəs/. 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 "foolishness"?
From Middle English folishnesse, follissnesse, equivalent to foolish + -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 "foolishness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

egalitarian#26,772celebratory#26,715Marlborough#26,879calligraphy#26,709

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

devolution15 variantsdetonation15 variantsconductive15 variantsbroadening15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list