needless
need·less/ˈniːdləs/adjective
needless is spelled N-E-E-D-L-E-S-S: 8 letters and 2 syllables (need·less). It appears 4.6 times per million words in written English, the 11,870th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, needless means “Not needed; unnecessary” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in needless?
| Letters | 8: N-E-E-D-L-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: need·less |
| In writing | 4.6 times per million words; the 11,870th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is needless?
Needless appears 4.6 times per million words in written English, the 11,870th 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 needless?
- /ˈniːdləs/
Needless has 2 syllables, split need·less in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-needless.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of needless
- more needless comparative
- most needless superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does needless mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not needed; unnecessary.
This new project of yours will only be a needless expense.
adverb
- 1
archaicNeedlessly, without cause.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Needless in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not needed:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | superflu, inutile |
| German | unnötig, überflüssig |
| Portuguese | desnecessário |
| Spanish | sin necesidad |
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 needless come from?
From Middle English needlees, nedelees, nedeles, equivalent to need + -less.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).