nefariousness

noun

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

The verdict

“nefariousness” 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 state or characteristic of being nefarious.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nefariousness · nefariousness · English

nefariousness · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "N" 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 nefariousness
PropertyValue
Headwordnefariousness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nefariousness” in English

nefariousnessranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

nefariousness is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The state or characteristic of being nefarious.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for nefariousness, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nefarious + -ness. The correct English form is nefariousness, spelled N-E-F-A-R-I-O-U-S-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or characteristic of being nefarious.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Thus the eye of Justice may not be said to have winked upon the nefariousness now under its vision.

Etymology

From nefarious + -ness.

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 "nefariousness"?
"nefariousness" is spelled N-E-F-A-R-I-O-U-S-N-E-S-S.
What does "nefariousness" mean?
As a noun, "nefariousness" means: The state or characteristic of being nefarious.
What is the origin of the word "nefariousness"?
From nefarious + -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