ne'er-do-well
/ˈnɛə.duˌwɛl/
"ne-er-do-well" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ne'er-do-well” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person without a means of support; an idle, worthless person; a loafer; a person who is ineffectual, unsuccessful, or completely lacking in merit; a good-for-nothing.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ne'er-do-well |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈnɛə.duˌwɛl/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ne'er-do-well” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ne'er-do-well is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈnɛə.duˌwɛl/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
ne'er-do-well has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the phrase never do well. "Ne'er-do-well" is a contracted compound word stemming from the combination of the words "never do well." “Never-do-well” is sometimes used as an offhand, expanded version of the phrase, where “never” is not contracted. The us… The correct English form is ne'er-do-well, spelled N-E-'-E-R---D-O---W-E-L-L.
Definition
- 1A person without a means of support; an idle, worthless person; a loafer; a person who is ineffectual, unsuccessful, or completely lacking in merit; a good-for-nothing.
- 2A person who is up to no good; a rogue.
Etymology
From the phrase never do well. "Ne'er-do-well" is a contracted compound word stemming from the combination of the words "never do well." “Never-do-well” is sometimes used as an offhand, expanded version of the phrase, where “never” is not contracted. The usage of this version is often attributed to the northeastern United States.
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 "ne'er-do-well"?
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Using “ne'er-do-well”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-E-'-E-R---D-O---W-E-L-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈnɛə.duˌwɛl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.