hapless
/ˈhæpləs/adjective
hapless is spelled H-A-P-L-E-S-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, hapless means “Especially of a person, unfortunate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hapless?
| Letters | 7: H-A-P-L-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,636th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is hapless?
Hapless appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce hapless?
- /ˈhæplɪs/
- US /ˈhæpləs/
Hapless has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hapless.ogg, En-au-hapless.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with hapless?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as hapless from its last stressed vowel (/æpləs/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of hapless
- more hapless comparative
- most hapless superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hapless mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Especially of a person, unfortunate.
- 2
Very unlucky; ill-fated.
- 3
Very miserable, wretched, unhappy, measly, forlorn.
- 4
Devoid of talent or skill.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hapless in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense very unlucky; ill-fated:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | malheureux, infortuné, malchanceux |
| German | unglückselig |
| Portuguese | azarado |
| Spanish | infeliz, infortunado, desgraciado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does hapless come from?
From about 1400, from hap (“luck”) + -less.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).