groundless

/ˈɡɹaʊndləs/

//ˈɡɹaʊndləs// adj

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

"groundless" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“groundless” is uncommon English (frequency #51,738 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,738
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Without any grounds to support it; baseless.

Corpus desk

Index EN-groundless · groundless · English

groundless · rank #51,738 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,738
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH griddle

Nearest frequency peer: griddle (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “groundless”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “groundless” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for groundless
PropertyValue
Headwordgroundless
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡɹaʊndləs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#51,738
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “groundless” in English

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).groundlessfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “griddle” (#51,736), “gurgling” (#51,741), “Hampson” (#51,742). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “groundless” is #51,738. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

groundless is uncommon English at frequency #51,738 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɡɹaʊndləs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Without any grounds to support it; baseless.".

groundless has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English groundles, from Old English grundlēas, from Proto-Germanic *grundulausaz, equivalent to ground + -less. Cognate with Dutch grondeloos, German Low German grundlos, German grundlos, Danish grundløs, Swedish grundlös. The correct English form is groundless, spelled G-R-O-U-N-D-L-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Without any grounds to support it; baseless.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [B]e the consequences what they may, they shall not move an inch, nor a hair's-breadth from the ground of their groundless spiritual independence, […]
  2. At that stage any fears among home fans of a possession monopoly by Laudrup's side were proving groundless, with Cardiff having their fair share of the ball and territory.

Etymology

From Middle English groundles, from Old English grundlēas, from Proto-Germanic *grundulausaz, equivalent to ground + -less. Cognate with Dutch grondeloos, German Low German grundlos, German grundlos, Danish grundløs, Swedish grundlös.

This word in other languages

infundado(Español)infondé(Français)grundlos(Deutsch)

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 "groundless"?
"groundless" is spelled G-R-O-U-N-D-L-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɹaʊndləs/.
What does "groundless" mean?
As an adjective, "groundless" means: Without any grounds to support it; baseless.
How do you pronounce "groundless"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "groundless" is /ˈɡɹaʊndləs/. 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 "groundless"?
From Middle English groundles, from Old English grundlēas, from Proto-Germanic *grundulausaz, equivalent to ground + -less. Cognate with Dutch grondeloos, German Low German grundlos, German grundlos, Danish grundløs, Swedish grundlös. 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 "groundless", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

heuristics#51,756journeying#51,792levitation#51,822liquidator#51,826

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list