keenness

noun

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

The verdict

“keenness” is an uncommon English word, ranked #76,912 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#76,912
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - sharpness or cutting ability

Key facts for keenness
PropertyValue
Headwordkeenness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#76,912
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “keenness” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for keenness is 8 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #76,912 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for keenness, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From keen + -ness. The correct English form is keenness, spelled K-E-E-N-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    sharpness or cutting ability
  2. 2
    astuteness or sagacity
  3. 3
    eagerness or enthusiasm

Etymology

From keen + -ness.

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 "keenness"?
"keenness" is spelled K-E-E-N-N-E-S-S.
What does "keenness" mean?
As a noun, "keenness" means: sharpness or cutting ability
What is the origin of the word "keenness"?
From keen + -ness. 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.

Using “keenness”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is K-E-E-N-N-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list