mercilessness

/ˈmɜː(ɹ)sɪləsnəs/

//ˈmɜː(ɹ)sɪləsnəs// noun

"mercilessness" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mercilessness” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The property of being merciless.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mercilessness · mercilessness · English

mercilessness · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for mercilessness
PropertyValue
Headwordmercilessness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɜː(ɹ)sɪləsnəs/
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mercilessness” in English

mercilessnessfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mercilessness is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɜː(ɹ)sɪləsnəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The property of being merciless.".

mercilessness doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From merciless + -ness. The correct English form is mercilessness, spelled M-E-R-C-I-L-E-S-S-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The property of being merciless.

Etymology

From merciless + -ness.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mercilessness"?
"mercilessness" is spelled M-E-R-C-I-L-E-S-S-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɜː(ɹ)sɪləsnəs/.
What does "mercilessness" mean?
As a noun, "mercilessness" means: The property of being merciless.
How do you pronounce "mercilessness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mercilessness" is /ˈmɜː(ɹ)sɪləsnəs/. 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 "mercilessness"?
From merciless + -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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list