inattention

noun

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

"inattention" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inattention” is uncommon English (frequency #58,103 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,103
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lack of attention, or failure to pay attention

Corpus desk

Index EN-inattention · inattention · English

inattention · rank #58,103 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,103
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inconsistently

Nearest frequency peer: inconsistently (+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 “inattention”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for inattention
PropertyValue
Headwordinattention
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Frequency rank#58,103
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “inattention” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).inattentionfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “inconsistently” (#58,104), “imbue” (#58,101), “institutionally” (#58,108). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inattention” is #58,103. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

inattention is uncommon English at frequency #58,103 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

inattention doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French inattention. The correct English form is inattention, spelled I-N-A-T-T-E-N-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lack of attention, or failure to pay attention
  2. 2
    An act of neglect; failure of courtesy.

Etymology

From French inattention.

This word in other languages

inatención(Español)inattention(Français)

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 "inattention"?
"inattention" is spelled I-N-A-T-T-E-N-T-I-O-N.
What does "inattention" mean?
As a noun, "inattention" means: Lack of attention, or failure to pay attention
What is the origin of the word "inattention"?
From French inattention. 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 "inattention", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hooliganism#58,085judiciously#58,126Hippocratic#58,078hexadecimal#58,074

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list