lawlessness

noun

"lawlessness" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lawlessness” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #32,476 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#32,476
frequency rank, English
11
letters
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A lack of law; a lack of law and order; anarchy.

Key facts for lawlessness
PropertyValue
Headwordlawlessness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Frequency rank#32,476
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lawlessness” 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). lawlessness 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 lawlessness is 11 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #32,476 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for lawlessness, with forms such as "alwlessness", "lalwessness", and "lawelssness". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lawless + -ness. The correct English form is lawlessness, spelled L-A-W-L-E-S-S-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lack of law; a lack of law and order; anarchy.
  2. 2
    Defiance of the law; outlawry, exorbitant levels of crime.

Etymology

From lawless + -ness.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: alwlessness,lalwessness,lawelssness,lawlesness,lawlesnsess,lawlessenss,lawlessnes,lawlessnness,lawlessnses,lawllessness,lawlsesness,lawwlessness,llawlessness,lwalessness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lawlessness - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

alwlessness2lalwessness2lawelssness2lawlesness1lawlesnsess2lawlessenss2lawlessnes1lawlessnness1
Edit distance from "lawlessness"

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 "lawlessness"?
"lawlessness" is spelled L-A-W-L-E-S-S-N-E-S-S.
What does "lawlessness" mean?
As a noun, "lawlessness" means: A lack of law; a lack of law and order; anarchy.
What are common misspellings of "lawlessness"?
Common misspellings include "alwlessness", "lalwessness", "lawelssness", "lawlesness", "lawlesnsess". The correct spelling is "lawlessness".
What is the origin of the word "lawlessness"?
From lawless + -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 “lawlessness”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is L-A-W-L-E-S-S-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