lawless

/ˈlɔːləs/

//ˈlɔːləs// adj

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

"lawless" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lawless” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,151. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,151
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not governed by any law.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lawless · lawless · English

lawless · rank #20,151 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,151
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH KFC

Nearest frequency peer: KFC (-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 “lawless”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lawless” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

lawless vs lawyers
71% similar
lawless vs Lawler
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for lawless
PropertyValue
Headwordlawless
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlɔːləs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,151
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lawless”

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).lawlesslands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “KFC” (#20,150), “Kaufman” (#20,149), “jacked” (#20,146). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lawless” is #20,151. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around lawless (IPA /ˈlɔːləs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #20,151 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for lawless, with forms such as "alwless", "lalwess", and "lawelss". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "lawyers", "Lawler", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English laweles; equivalent to law + -less. Cognate with Danish lovløs (“lawless”), Swedish laglös (“lawless”), Norwegian lovløs (“lawless”), Icelandic löglaus (“lawless”). The correct English form is lawless, spelled L-A-W-L-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not governed by any law.
  2. 2
    Prohibited by law; unlawful, illegal.
  3. 3
    Not restrained by the law or by discipline; disorderly, unruly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This countrey ſwarmes with vile outragious men, That liue by rapine and by lawleſſe ſpoile, Fit ſouldiers for the wicked Tamburlaine.
  2. For ſure the Gods / Are not devoid of wiſdom, but perceive / What oaths are lawleſs and by force extorted.

Etymology

From Middle English laweles; equivalent to law + -less. Cognate with Danish lovløs (“lawless”), Swedish laglös (“lawless”), Norwegian lovløs (“lawless”), Icelandic löglaus (“lawless”).

This word in other languages

ilegal(Español)sans foi ni loi(Français)rechtsfrei(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alwless
  • lalwess
  • lawelss
  • lawles
  • lawlless
  • lawlses
  • lawwless
  • llawless
  • lwaless

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

alwless2lalwess2lawelss2lawles1lawlless1lawlses2lawwless1llawless1
Edit distance from "lawless"

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 "lawless"?
"lawless" is spelled L-A-W-L-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɔːləs/.
What does "lawless" mean?
As an adjective, "lawless" means: Not governed by any law.
What words are commonly confused with "lawless"?
"lawless" is commonly confused with "lawyers", "Lawler". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lawless"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lawless" is /ˈlɔːləs/. 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 "lawless"?
From Middle English laweles; equivalent to law + -less. Cognate with Danish lovløs (“lawless”), Swedish laglös (“lawless”), Norwegian lovløs (“lawless”), Icelandic löglaus (“lawless”). 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 "lawless", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Kaufman#20,149Maynard#20,162mayoral#20,163Hussain#20,136

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

jacked9 variantsmedley9 variantsphoned9 variantsplugin9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list