irregardless

/ˌɪɹɪˈɡɑːdlɪs/

//ˌɪɹɪˈɡɑːdlɪs// adj

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

"irregardless" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“irregardless” is uncommon English (frequency #89,490 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,490
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Irrespective, regardless.

Corpus desk

Index EN-irregardless · irregardless · English

irregardless · rank #89,490 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,490
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Irak

Nearest frequency peer: Irak (-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 “irregardless”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for irregardless
PropertyValue
Headwordirregardless
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɪɹɪˈɡɑːdlɪs/
Letters12
Frequency rank#89,490
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “irregardless” 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).irregardlessfalls 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: “Irak” (#89,489), “interregional” (#89,488), “interdenominational” (#89,487). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “irregardless” is #89,490. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

irregardless is uncommon English at frequency #89,490 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌɪɹɪˈɡɑːdlɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Irrespective, regardless.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for irregardless, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably a blend of irrespective + regardless; the word can also be analysed as ir- + regardless because it is possible that the prefix ir- was added to amplify the negative in regardless just as plain negatives often did at the time the word came into use … The correct English form is irregardless, spelled I-R-R-E-G-A-R-D-L-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Irrespective, regardless.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Dear loved ones were unceremoniously hurried off home, irregardless to any previous arrangement, where they could sit down and recount the incidents of the trip to those who had been left behind, and where they were welcomed with the hearty greeting, "Home again."
  2. Mr. Mᶜg. [Rob Roy MacGregor], far from being unsusceptable of flatterry,^([sic]) irregardless of his own private interest, readily assented, and had a paper dictated to him to the following purpose: […]

Etymology

Probably a blend of irrespective + regardless; the word can also be analysed as ir- + regardless because it is possible that the prefix ir- was added to amplify the negative in regardless just as plain negatives often did at the time the word came into use (and still do in dialects).

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 "irregardless"?
"irregardless" is spelled I-R-R-E-G-A-R-D-L-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪɹɪˈɡɑːdlɪs/.
What does "irregardless" mean?
As an adjective, "irregardless" means: Irrespective, regardless.
How do you pronounce "irregardless"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "irregardless" is /ˌɪɹɪˈɡɑːdlɪs/. 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 "irregardless"?
Probably a blend of irrespective + regardless; the word can also be analysed as ir- + regardless because it is possible that the prefix ir- was added to amplify the negative in regardless just as plain negatives often did at the time the word came... 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 "irregardless", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hohenzollern#89,459Lovecraftian#89,568ecclesiology#89,319neurotrophic#89,677

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list