needlessly
adverb
needlessly is spelled N-E-E-D-L-E-S-S-L-Y: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, needlessly means “In a needless manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in needlessly?
| Letters | 10: N-E-E-D-L-E-S-S-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th 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 needlessly?
Needlessly appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th 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 needlessly?
Needlessly has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Grendelkhan-needlessly.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of needlessly
- more needlessly comparative
- most needlessly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does needlessly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a needless manner.
- 2
To a degree or extent beyond what is needed.
He was always needlessly anxious about his dog.
- 3
Without need.
He worried needlessly about his dog.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Needlessly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a needless manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | desnecessariamente |
| Spanish | innecesariamente, por gusto |
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 needlessly come from?
From needless + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).