idleness

/ˈaɪdəlnəs/

//ˈaɪdəlnəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“idleness” is uncommon English (frequency #54,244 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,244
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being idle; inactivity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-idleness · idleness · English

idleness · rank #54,244 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,244
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH hypodermic

Nearest frequency peer: hypodermic (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “idleness”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for idleness
PropertyValue
Headwordidleness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaɪdəlnəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#54,244
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “idleness” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “hypodermic” (#54,243), “idolize” (#54,245), “IDP” (#54,246). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “idleness” is #54,244. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

idleness is uncommon English at frequency #54,244 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈaɪdəlnəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for idleness in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ydelnesse, from Old English īdelnes, from Proto-West Germanic *īdalnassī, equivalent to idle + -ness. Cognate with Old Frisian īdelnisse (“idelness”), obsolete Dutch ijdelnis, Old Saxon īdalnussi (“idleness, vanity”), Old High German īta… The correct English form is idleness, spelled I-D-L-E-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being idle; inactivity.
  2. 2
    The state of being indolent; indolence.
  3. 3
    Groundlessness; worthlessness; triviality; vanity; frivolity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. For either they be puffed vp vvith pride, / Or fraught vvith enuie that their galls do ſvvell, / Or they their dayes to ydleneſſe diuide, / Or drovvnded lie in pleaſures vvaſtefull vvell, / In vvhich like Moldvvarps [i.e., moles] nouſling ſtill they lurke, / Vnmyndfull of chiefe parts of manlineſſe, / And do themſelues for vvant of other vvorke, / Vaine v…

Etymology

From Middle English ydelnesse, from Old English īdelnes, from Proto-West Germanic *īdalnassī, equivalent to idle + -ness. Cognate with Old Frisian īdelnisse (“idelness”), obsolete Dutch ijdelnis, Old Saxon īdalnussi (“idleness, vanity”), Old High German ītalnissa (“idleness, vanity, emptiness”).

This word in other languages

inactividad(Español)oisiveté(Français)Untätigkeit(Deutsch)inatividade(Português)

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 "idleness"?
"idleness" is spelled I-D-L-E-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaɪdəlnəs/.
What does "idleness" mean?
As a noun, "idleness" means: The state of being idle; inactivity.
How do you pronounce "idleness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "idleness" is /ˈaɪdəlnəs/. 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 "idleness"?
From Middle English ydelnesse, from Old English īdelnes, from Proto-West Germanic *īdalnassī, equivalent to idle + -ness. Cognate with Old Frisian īdelnisse (“idelness”), obsolete Dutch ijdelnis, Old Saxon īdalnussi (“idleness, vanity”), Old High ... 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 "idleness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Hounslow#54,238interwar#54,258hematite#54,228gladness#54,202

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list