sharpness

noun

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

"sharpness" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sharpness” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,717. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,717
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - the cutting ability of an edge; keenness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sharpness · sharpness · English

sharpness · rank #28,717 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #28,717
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sharpening

Nearest frequency peer: sharpening (-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 “sharpness”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sharpness” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sharpness vs shortness
78% similar

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

Key facts for sharpness
PropertyValue
Headwordsharpness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#28,717
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sharpness”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).sharpnesslands 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 “sharpening” (#28,716), “Seward” (#28,715), “shh” (#28,719). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sharpness” is #28,717. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around sharpness, anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,717 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for sharpness, with forms such as "hsarpness", "sahrpness", and "shaprness". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "shortness", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sharpnesse, scharpnesse, from Old English sċearpnes (“sharpness”), equivalent to sharp + -ness. The correct English form is sharpness, spelled S-H-A-R-P-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    the cutting ability of an edge; keenness.
  2. 2
    the fineness of the point a pointed object.
  3. 3
    The product or result of being sharp.
  4. 4
    pungency or acidity.
  5. 5
    distinctness, focus.
  6. 6
    acuteness or acuity.
  7. 7
    edge or blade

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The first thing that strikes the stranger is the sharpness of the curves on the metre gauge; it is not unusual for a long train to be travelling in three directions at once, and the engine is frequently in full view of the windows of the ninth or tenth carriage.
  2. Mrs. PAGE is gifted with a pleasing voice, which is yet imperfectly weeded of certain sharpnesses, but seems susceptible of a wide range of melodious inflection.

Etymology

From Middle English sharpnesse, scharpnesse, from Old English sċearpnes (“sharpness”), equivalent to sharp + -ness.

Synonyms

keennessacidityacriditypiquancypungencysournessclaritydistinctnessfocusacutenessacuity

This word in other languages

agudeza(Español)tranchant(Français)Schärfe(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsarpness
  • sahrpness
  • shaprness
  • sharnpess
  • sharpenss
  • sharpnes
  • sharpnness
  • sharpnses
  • sharppness
  • sharrpness
  • shharpness
  • shrapness
  • ssharpness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hsarpness2sahrpness2shaprness2sharnpess2sharpenss2sharpnes1sharpnness1sharpnses2
Edit distance from "sharpness"

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 "sharpness"?
"sharpness" is spelled S-H-A-R-P-N-E-S-S.
What does "sharpness" mean?
As a noun, "sharpness" means: the cutting ability of an edge; keenness.
What words are commonly confused with "sharpness"?
"sharpness" is commonly confused with "shortness". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "sharpness"?
From Middle English sharpnesse, scharpnesse, from Old English sċearpnes (“sharpness”), equivalent to sharp + -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 "sharpness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sketching#28,724snowboard#28,732solitaire#28,733revolting#28,696

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

rhapsody13 variantsredeeming13 variantssweetened13 variantsrationing13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list