listless
/ˈlɪstlɪs/adjective
listless is spelled L-I-S-T-L-E-S-S: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, listless means “Lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in listless?
| Letters | 8: L-I-S-T-L-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,129th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is listless?
Listless appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th 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 listless?
- /ˈlɪstlɪs/
- /ˈlɪstləs/
Listless has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-listless.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of listless
- more listless comparative
- most listless superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does listless mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Listless in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense lacking enthusiasm:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | apathique, indolent |
| German | lasch, lustlos, antriebslos |
| Portuguese | lânguido, apático |
| Spanish | apático, indiferente |
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 listless come from?
From Middle English lystles, equivalent to list (“desire”) + -less. Compare German lustlos and Dutch lusteloos (“lethargic, listless”). Doublet of lustless.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).