headless

/ˈhɛdləs/

//ˈhɛdləs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“headless” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,576. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,576
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Without a head (body part).

Corpus desk

Index EN-headless · headless · English

headless · rank #28,576 · 10 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,576
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH healthiest

Nearest frequency peer: healthiest (+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 “headless”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “headless” 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).

headless vs helpless
75% similar
headless vs heartless
78% similar
headless vs headers
75% similar

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

Key facts for headless
PropertyValue
Headwordheadless
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhɛdləs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#28,576
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “headless”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).headlesslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “healthiest” (#28,577), “groping” (#28,574), “Heineken” (#28,578). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “headless” is #28,576. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around headless (IPA /ˈhɛdləs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #28,576 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for headless, with forms such as "ehadless", "haedless", and "headdless". 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. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "helpless", "heartless", "headers", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English heedles, hevedles, from Old English hēafodlēas (“headless”), equivalent to head + -less. Cognate with Dutch hoofdloos (“headless”), Danish hovedløs (“headless”), Swedish huvudlös (“headless”), Icelandic höfuðlaus (“headless”). Piecewise … The correct English form is headless, spelled H-E-A-D-L-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Without a head (body part).
  2. 2
    Without a head (body part).
  3. 3
    Without a head (hardware or device feature).
  4. 4
    Without leadership.
  5. 5
    Not having a head morpheme or word.
  6. 6
    Running without a graphical user interface; running without any attached output device (e.g., monitor) or input device (e.g., keyboard, mouse).
  7. 7
    Without a head of foam.
  8. 8
    Heedless.
  9. 9
    Rimless, not having a cartridge case rim (flange).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. How did the headless horseman see to chase Ichabod?
  2. headless invertebrates

Etymology

From Middle English heedles, hevedles, from Old English hēafodlēas (“headless”), equivalent to head + -less. Cognate with Dutch hoofdloos (“headless”), Danish hovedløs (“headless”), Swedish huvudlös (“headless”), Icelandic höfuðlaus (“headless”). Piecewise doublet of chefless and chiefless.

This word in other languages

acéphale(Français)kopflos(Deutsch)acéfalo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehadless
  • haedless
  • headdless
  • headelss
  • headles
  • headlless
  • headlses
  • healdess
  • hedaless
  • hheadless

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehadless2haedless2headdless1headelss2headles1headlless1headlses2healdess2
Edit distance from "headless"

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 "headless"?
"headless" is spelled H-E-A-D-L-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛdləs/.
What does "headless" mean?
As an adjective, "headless" means: Without a head (body part).
What words are commonly confused with "headless"?
"headless" is commonly confused with "helpless", "heartless", "headers". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "headless"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "headless" is /ˈhɛdləs/. 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 "headless"?
From Middle English heedles, hevedles, from Old English hēafodlēas (“headless”), equivalent to head + -less. Cognate with Dutch hoofdloos (“headless”), Danish hovedløs (“headless”), Swedish huvudlös (“headless”), Icelandic höfuðlaus (“headless”). ... 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 "headless", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Heineken#28,578greenish#28,572granular#28,571glaucoma#28,565

Similar misspelling depth

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

infield10 variantsinflate10 variantslooping10 variantsMayfair10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list