irresponsible

/ˌɪɹ.ɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/

//ˌɪɹ.ɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl// adj

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

"irresponsible" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“irresponsible” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,728. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,728
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
19
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not responsible; exempt from legal responsibility, not to be held accountable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-irresponsible · irresponsible · English

irresponsible · rank #11,728 · 19 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,728
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH intern

Nearest frequency peer: intern (-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 “irresponsible”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “irresponsible” 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
Key facts for irresponsible
PropertyValue
Headwordirresponsible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɪɹ.ɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/
Letters13
Frequency rank#11,728
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “irresponsible”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).irresponsiblelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “intern” (#11,727), “Jakarta” (#11,729), “insulation” (#11,726). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “irresponsible” is #11,728. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around irresponsible (IPA /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,728 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for irresponsible, with forms such as "irersponsible", "iresponsible", and "irrepsonsible". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ir- + responsible. The correct English form is irresponsible, spelled I-R-R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not responsible; exempt from legal responsibility, not to be held accountable.
  2. 2
    Lacking a sense of responsibility; performed or acting as though without responsibility; negligent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. They left the crown what, in the eye and estimation of law, it had ever been, perfectly irresponsible.

Etymology

From ir- + responsible.

This word in other languages

irresponsable(Español)irresponsable(Français)verantwortungslos(Deutsch)irresponsável(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • irersponsible
  • iresponsible
  • irrepsonsible
  • irresopnsible
  • irrespnosible
  • irresponisble
  • irresponnsible
  • irresponsable
  • irresponsbile
  • irresponsibble
  • irresponsibel
  • irresponsiblle
  • irresponsilbe
  • irresponssible
  • irresposnible
  • irrespponsible
  • irressponsible
  • irrseponsible
  • riresponsible

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of irresponsible - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

irersponsible2iresponsible1irrepsonsible2irresopnsible2irrespnosible2irresponisble2irresponnsible1irresponsable1
Edit distance from "irresponsible"

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 "irresponsible"?
"irresponsible" is spelled I-R-R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/.
What does "irresponsible" mean?
As an adjective, "irresponsible" means: Not responsible; exempt from legal responsibility, not to be held accountable.
What are common misspellings of "irresponsible"?
Common misspellings include "irersponsible", "iresponsible", "irrepsonsible", "irresopnsible", "irrespnosible". The correct spelling is "irresponsible".
How do you pronounce "irresponsible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "irresponsible" is /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/. 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 "irresponsible"?
From ir- + responsible. 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 "irresponsible", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

enlightenment#11,693statistically#11,800unpredictable#11,631investigative#11,560

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

underestimate19 variantsanthropology19 variantsconstituency19 variantsdictatorship19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list