listless

/ˈlɪstlɪs/

//ˈlɪstlɪs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“listless” is uncommon English (frequency #51,222 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,222
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-listless · listless · English

listless · rank #51,222 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,222
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Linz

Nearest frequency peer: Linz (-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 “listless”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for listless
PropertyValue
Headwordlistless
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlɪstlɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#51,222
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “listless” in English

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).listlessfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Linz” (#51,221), “localize” (#51,223), “logger” (#51,224). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “listless” is #51,222. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

listless is uncommon English at frequency #51,222 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈlɪstlɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness.".

No misspelling variants are generated for listless in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lystles, equivalent to list (“desire”) + -less. Compare German lustlos and Dutch lusteloos (“lethargic, listless”). Doublet of lustless. The correct English form is listless, spelled L-I-S-T-L-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I passed whole days on the lake alone in a little boat, watching the clouds, and listening to the rippling of the waves, silent and listless.
  2. What an entirely different set of beings were those Stokesley children in lesson-time. . . . Poor, listless, stolid, deplorable logs, with bowed backs and crossed ankles, pipy voices and heavy eyes!

Etymology

From Middle English lystles, equivalent to list (“desire”) + -less. Compare German lustlos and Dutch lusteloos (“lethargic, listless”). Doublet of lustless.

This word in other languages

apático(Español)apathique(Français)lasch(Deutsch)lânguido(Português)

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 "listless"?
"listless" is spelled L-I-S-T-L-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪstlɪs/.
What does "listless" mean?
As an adjective, "listless" means: Lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness.
How do you pronounce "listless"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "listless" is /ˈlɪstlɪs/. 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 "listless"?
From Middle English lystles, equivalent to list (“desire”) + -less. Compare German lustlos and Dutch lusteloos (“lethargic, listless”). Doublet of lustless. 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 "listless", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

localize#51,223Maddison#51,230landless#51,209marinara#51,237

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list