neglect

Name: neglect, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/nɪˈɡlɛkt/

//nɪˈɡlɛkt// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“neglect” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,784 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#9,784
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 11
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To fail to care for or attend to something.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

neglect vs neglected

78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for neglect
Property	Value
Headword	neglect
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/nɪˈɡlɛkt/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#9,784
Misspellings tracked	11
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “neglect” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). neglect lands here:

#9,784

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for neglect is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nɪˈɡlɛkt/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,784 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for neglect, with forms such as "englect", "negelct", and "negglect". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "neglected", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is inherited from Middle English neglect, neclect, derived from Latin neglēctus, perfect passive participle of neglegō (“to make light of, disregard, not to pick up”), itself from nec (“not”) + legō (“to pick up, select”). The noun is from neglēctu… The correct English form is neglect, spelled N-E-G-L-E-C-T.

Definition

1
To fail to care for or attend to something.
2
To omit to notice; to forbear to treat with attention or respect; to slight.
3
To fail to do or carry out something due to oversight or carelessness.
4
To ignore for the sake of simplifying calculations without significantly affecting accuracy.

Etymology

The verb is inherited from Middle English neglect, neclect, derived from Latin neglēctus, perfect passive participle of neglegō (“to make light of, disregard, not to pick up”), itself from nec (“not”) + legō (“to pick up, select”). The noun is from neglēctus (“neglect”). First attested in 1460, the noun in 1588.

Synonyms

let slide disregard take no notice of ignore fail forget

Antonyms

care mind reck care consider notice regard pay attention

This word in other languages

descuidar(Español)négliger(Français)vernachlässigen(Deutsch)negligenciar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: englect,negelct,negglect,neglcet,neglecct,neglectt,negletc,negllect,nelgect,ngelect,nneglect

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of neglect - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "neglect"

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 "neglect"?

"neglect" is spelled N-E-G-L-E-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /nɪˈɡlɛkt/.

What does "neglect" mean?

As a verb, "neglect" means: To fail to care for or attend to something.

What words are commonly confused with "neglect"?

"neglect" is commonly confused with "neglected". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "neglect"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "neglect" is /nɪˈɡlɛkt/. 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 "neglect"?

The verb is inherited from Middle English neglect, neclect, derived from Latin neglēctus, perfect passive participle of neglegō (“to make light of, disregard, not to pick up”), itself from nec (“not”) + legō (“to pick up, select”). The noun is fro... 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.

Using “neglect”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is N-E-G-L-E-C-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /nɪˈɡlɛkt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “neglected” - see the side-by-side comparison. neglect vs neglected
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.