lameness

noun

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

The verdict

“lameness” is uncommon English (frequency #68,378 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,378
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An impediment to walking due to the feet or legs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lameness · lameness · English

lameness · rank #68,378 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,378
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lamprey

Nearest frequency peer: lamprey (+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 “lameness”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lameness
PropertyValue
Headwordlameness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#68,378
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lameness” 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).lamenessfalls 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: “lamprey” (#68,379), “lacerated” (#68,376), “lariat” (#68,380). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lameness” is #68,378. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lameness is uncommon English at frequency #68,378 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for lameness in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lame + -ness. The correct English form is lameness, spelled L-A-M-E-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    An impediment to walking due to the feet or legs.
  2. 2
    The quality of being lame, pathetic or uncool.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His lameness may have prevented him from walking but it didn't stop him from running for public office.
  2. I can't believe the lameness of the special effects in that movie.

Etymology

From lame + -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 "lameness"?
"lameness" is spelled L-A-M-E-N-E-S-S.
What does "lameness" mean?
As a noun, "lameness" means: An impediment to walking due to the feet or legs.
What is the origin of the word "lameness"?
From lame + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "lameness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list