selfishness

/ˈsɛl.fɪʃ.nəs/

//ˈsɛl.fɪʃ.nəs// noun

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

"selfishness" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“selfishness” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,924. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,924
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The quality of being selfish, the condition of putting one's own interests before those of others.

Corpus desk

Index EN-selfishness · selfishness · English

selfishness · rank #21,924 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,924
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH seduction

Nearest frequency peer: seduction (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “selfishness”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “selfishness” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for selfishness
PropertyValue
Headwordselfishness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɛl.fɪʃ.nəs/
Letters11
Frequency rank#21,924
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “selfishness”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “seduction” (#21,923), “serge” (#21,925), “seaweed” (#21,922). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “selfishness” is #21,924. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around selfishness (IPA /ˈsɛl.fɪʃ.nəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,924 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The quality of being selfish, the condition of putting one's own interests before those of others.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for selfishness, with forms such as "eslfishness", "seflishness", and "selffishness". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From selfish + -ness. The correct English form is selfishness, spelled S-E-L-F-I-S-H-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality of being selfish, the condition of putting one's own interests before those of others.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This common faith or set of aspirations, he added, could also help Americans transcend their selfishnesses and follies and promote a world civil religion given to justice and hope.
  2. And he knows that Patrick can afford to complain about his mother’s minor selfishness but he cannot afford to engage with the idea of his own father at all.

Etymology

From selfish + -ness.

Synonyms

egoismegomismegocentricityhoggeryinterestednessme-firstismphilautyporkishnessselfhoodselfishnessself-absorptionself-centerednessself-interestednessself-obsessionself-servingnesssolipsismsuicism

Antonyms

selflessnessself-abnegation

This word in other languages

egoísmo(Español)égocentrisme(Français)Egoismus(Deutsch)egoísmo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eslfishness
  • seflishness
  • selffishness
  • selfihsness
  • selfishenss
  • selfishhness
  • selfishnes
  • selfishnness
  • selfishnses
  • selfisnhess
  • selfisshness
  • selfsihness
  • selifshness
  • sellfishness
  • slefishness
  • sselfishness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of selfishness - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eslfishness2seflishness2selffishness1selfihsness2selfishenss2selfishhness1selfishnes1selfishnness1
Edit distance from "selfishness"

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 "selfishness"?
"selfishness" is spelled S-E-L-F-I-S-H-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛl.fɪʃ.nəs/.
What does "selfishness" mean?
As a noun, "selfishness" means: The quality of being selfish, the condition of putting one's own interests before those of others.
What are common misspellings of "selfishness"?
Common misspellings include "eslfishness", "seflishness", "selffishness", "selfihsness", "selfishenss". The correct spelling is "selfishness".
How do you pronounce "selfishness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "selfishness" is /ˈsɛl.fɪʃ.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 "selfishness"?
From selfish + -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 "selfishness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reconstruct#21,911reactionary#21,909specificity#21,943proclaiming#21,902

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

prosthetic16 variantsprospectus16 variantsmeteorology16 variantsbabysitting16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list