lightness
light·ness/ˈlaɪtnəs/noun
lightness is spelled L-I-G-H-T-N-E-S-S: 9 letters and 2 syllables (light·ness). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, lightness means “the condition of being illuminated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lightness is lightnesses.
How many letters and syllables are in lightness?
| Letters | 9: L-I-G-H-T-N-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: light·ness |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is lightness?
Lightness appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce lightness?
- /ˈlaɪtnəs/
Lightness has 2 syllables, split light·ness in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-lightness.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-lightness.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lightness
- lightnesses plural
- lightnesse
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lightness mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
the condition of being illuminated
- 2
the relative whiteness or transparency of a colour
- 3
The product of being illuminated.
- 4
The state of having little (or less) weight, or little force.
- 5
Agility of movement.
- 6
Freedom from worry.
- 7
Levity, frivolity; inconsistency.
Seneca […] accounts it a filthy lightness in men, every day to lay new foundations of their life, but who doth otherwise?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lightness in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | luminosité , clarté , légèreté |
| Portuguese | claridade, luminosidade |
| Spanish | luminosidad, claridad , liviandad |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does lightness come from?
From Middle English lightnes, lightnesse, from Old English līhtnes, lȳhtnys (“enlightening, illumination”), from Proto-West Germanic *liuhtinassī; equivalent to light (“to make bright, illuminate”, verb) + -ness (suffix forming nouns). Cognate with Old High German liuhtnissi (“illumination, enlightening”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).