neediness

/ˈniː.di.nəs/

//ˈniː.di.nəs// noun

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

"neediness" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“neediness” is uncommon English (frequency #83,551 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,551
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-neediness · neediness · English

neediness · rank #83,551 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #83,551
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nantwich

Nearest frequency peer: Nantwich (-2 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 “neediness”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for neediness
PropertyValue
Headwordneediness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈniː.di.nəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#83,551
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “neediness” 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).needinessfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Nantwich” (#83,549), “Nettleton” (#83,554), “Newson” (#83,555). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “neediness” is #83,551. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

neediness is uncommon English at frequency #83,551 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈniː.di.nəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The characteristic of being needy.".

neediness has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English nedynesse; equivalent to needy + -ness. The correct English form is neediness, spelled N-E-E-D-I-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The characteristic of being needy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The kind of family neediness experienced by homemakers differed between classes.

Etymology

From Middle English nedynesse; equivalent to needy + -ness.

This word in other languages

Bedürftigkeit(Deutsch)carência(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 "neediness"?
"neediness" is spelled N-E-E-D-I-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈniː.di.nəs/.
What does "neediness" mean?
As a noun, "neediness" means: The characteristic of being needy.
How do you pronounce "neediness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "neediness" is /ˈniː.di.nəs/. 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 "neediness"?
From Middle English nedynesse; equivalent to needy + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "neediness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Nettleton#83,554nightwear#83,559moonraker#83,531ouroboros#83,584

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list