goodness

/ˈɡʊdnəs/

//ˈɡʊdnəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“goodness” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,795. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,795
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-goodness · goodness · English

goodness · rank #5,795 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,795
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gentlemen

Nearest frequency peer: gentlemen (-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 “goodness”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “goodness” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

goodness vs goddess
75% similar
goodness vs godless
75% similar

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

Key facts for goodness
PropertyValue
Headwordgoodness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡʊdnəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,795
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “goodness”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).goodnesslands 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 “gentlemen” (#5,794), “guilt” (#5,796), “gaining” (#5,793). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “goodness” is #5,795. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around goodness (IPA /ˈɡʊdnəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,795 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for goodness, with forms such as "ggoodness", "godness", and "godoness". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "goddess", "godless", 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 goodnesse, godnesse, from Old English gōdnes (“goodness; virtue; kindness”), from Proto-West Germanic *gōdnassī (“goodness”), equivalent to good + -ness. Cognate with Scots guidness (“goodness”), West Frisian goedens (“goodness”), Old Hi… The correct English form is goodness, spelled G-O-O-D-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or characteristic of being good.
  2. 2
    The good, nutritional, healthy part or content of something.
  3. 3
    God.
  4. 4
    The moral qualities which constitute Christian excellence; moral virtue.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There is ſome ſoule of goodneſſe in things euill, / VVould men obſeruingly 'diſtill it out.
  2. Rich, raisiny, smoky, coffee goodness: that is the flavor of urfa biber.

Etymology

From Middle English goodnesse, godnesse, from Old English gōdnes (“goodness; virtue; kindness”), from Proto-West Germanic *gōdnassī (“goodness”), equivalent to good + -ness. Cognate with Scots guidness (“goodness”), West Frisian goedens (“goodness”), Old High German guotnessī (“goodness”), Middle High German guotnisse (“goodness”), Russian годность (godnostʹ, “suitability, fitness”).

Synonyms

beneficencedogooderygoodheroismvirtuevirtuousness

Antonyms

atrociousnessbadnesscorruptnesscriminalitydepravityevilevilnessimmoralityknaveryrascalityscoundrelryturpitudevilenessvillainhoodvillainousnessvillainywickedness

This word in other languages

bondad(Español)bonté(Français)Güte(Deutsch)bondade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggoodness
  • godness
  • godoness
  • gooddness
  • goodenss
  • goodnes
  • goodnness
  • goodnses
  • goondess
  • ogodness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggoodness1godness1godoness2gooddness1goodenss2goodnes1goodnness1goodnses2
Edit distance from "goodness"

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 "goodness"?
"goodness" is spelled G-O-O-D-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡʊdnəs/.
What does "goodness" mean?
As a noun, "goodness" means: The state or characteristic of being good.
What words are commonly confused with "goodness"?
"goodness" is commonly confused with "goddess", "godless". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "goodness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "goodness" is /ˈɡʊdnəs/. 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 "goodness"?
From Middle English goodnesse, godnesse, from Old English gōdnes (“goodness; virtue; kindness”), from Proto-West Germanic *gōdnassī (“goodness”), equivalent to good + -ness. Cognate with Scots guidness (“goodness”), West Frisian goedens (“goodness... 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 "goodness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

flexible#5,792homework#5,799engaging#5,788infected#5,803

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

gaining10 variantsdamages10 variantsmiracle10 variantsMurphy10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list