forgetfulness
/fəˈɡɛtfʊlnɪs/
"forgetfulness" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“forgetfulness” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #48,243 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #48,243
- frequency rank, English
- 13
- letters
- 19
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The quality of being forgetful; proneness to let slip from the mind.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | forgetfulness |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /fəˈɡɛtfʊlnɪs/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Frequency rank | #48,243 |
| Misspellings tracked | 19 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “forgetfulness” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for forgetfulness is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fəˈɡɛtfʊlnɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #48,243 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for forgetfulness, with forms such as "fforgetfulness", "fogretfulness", and "foregtfulness". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English forgetfulnes, forgetfulnesse, forȝetfulnesse, equivalent to forgetful + -ness. The correct English form is forgetfulness, spelled F-O-R-G-E-T-F-U-L-N-E-S-S.
Definition
- 1The quality of being forgetful; proneness to let slip from the mind.
- 2Loss of remembrance or recollection; a ceasing to remember; oblivion.
- 3Failure to bear in mind; careless omission; inattention.
Etymology
From Middle English forgetfulnes, forgetfulnesse, forȝetfulnesse, equivalent to forgetful + -ness.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: fforgetfulness,fogretfulness,foregtfulness,forgeftulness,forgetffulness,forgetfluness,forgetfulenss,forgetfullness,forgetfulnes,forgetfulnness,forgetfulnses,forgetfunless,forgettfulness,forgetuflness,forggetfulness,forgtefulness,forrgetfulness,frogetfulness,ofrgetfulness
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of forgetfulness - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "forgetfulness"?
What does "forgetfulness" mean?
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Using “forgetfulness”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-O-R-G-E-T-F-U-L-N-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /fəˈɡɛtfʊlnɪs/ (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.