swiftness

/ˈswɪftnɪs/

//ˈswɪftnɪs// noun

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

The verdict

“swiftness” is uncommon English (frequency #60,503 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,503
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state of being swift.

Key facts for swiftness
PropertyValue
Headwordswiftness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈswɪftnɪs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#60,503
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “swiftness” 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). swiftness lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

swiftness is uncommon English at frequency #60,503 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈswɪftnɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The state of being swift.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for swiftness, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English swiftnesse, swyftnesse, from Old English swiftnes (“swiftness”), equivalent to swift + -ness. The correct English form is swiftness, spelled S-W-I-F-T-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being swift.

Etymology

From Middle English swiftnesse, swyftnesse, from Old English swiftnes (“swiftness”), equivalent to swift + -ness.

Synonyms

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 "swiftness"?
"swiftness" is spelled S-W-I-F-T-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈswɪftnɪs/.
What does "swiftness" mean?
As a noun, "swiftness" means: The state of being swift.
How do you pronounce "swiftness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "swiftness" is /ˈswɪftnɪs/. 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 "swiftness"?
From Middle English swiftnesse, swyftnesse, from Old English swiftnes (“swiftness”), equivalent to swift + -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.

Using “swiftness”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-W-I-F-T-N-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈswɪftnɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list