footloose

adj

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

"footloose" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“footloose” is uncommon English (frequency #52,322 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,322
frequency rank, English
18,613
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tending to travel or do as one pleases; readily without many commitments or responsibility.

Key facts for footloose
PropertyValue
Headwordfootloose
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters9
Frequency rank#52,322
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “footloose” 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). footloose lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

footloose is uncommon English at frequency #52,322 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for footloose in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From foot + loose. The correct English form is footloose, spelled F-O-O-T-L-O-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tending to travel or do as one pleases; readily without many commitments or responsibility.
  2. 2
    Of a sail: not properly secured at the bottom.

Etymology

From foot + loose.

This word in other languages

despreocupado(Español)

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 "footloose"?
"footloose" is spelled F-O-O-T-L-O-O-S-E.
What does "footloose" mean?
As an adjective, "footloose" means: Tending to travel or do as one pleases; readily without many commitments or responsibility.
What is the origin of the word "footloose"?
From foot + loose. 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 “footloose”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-O-O-T-L-O-O-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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