wanderlust

/ˈwɒndəlʌst/

//ˈwɒndəlʌst// noun

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

"wanderlust" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wanderlust” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,564. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,564
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A strong impulse or longing to travel.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wanderlust · wanderlust · English

wanderlust · rank #44,564 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,564
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Wakanda

Nearest frequency peer: Wakanda (-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 “wanderlust”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “wanderlust” 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 wanderlust
PropertyValue
Headwordwanderlust
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɒndəlʌst/
Letters10
Frequency rank#44,564
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wanderlust”

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).wanderlustlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Wakanda” (#44,563), “vulgarity” (#44,562), “waterside” (#44,566). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wanderlust” is #44,564. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around wanderlust (IPA /ˈwɒndəlʌst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,564 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for wanderlust, with forms such as "awnderlust", "wadnerlust", and "wandderlust". 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. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German Wanderlust (“an urge to travel; a love of the ‘great outdoors’”), from wandern (“to wander; to hike”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ- (“to turn; to wind”)) + Lust (“a desire, a wish to do or have something; fun, pleasure”) … The correct English form is wanderlust, spelled W-A-N-D-E-R-L-U-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A strong impulse or longing to travel.
  2. 2
    An impulse to cheat or seek out other romantic or sexual partners; a straying heart.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Very often we made detours from the main caravan, rejoining it at a given spot, and this spirit of "wanderlust" brought us into a nice quandary one fine day.
  2. For the long trail stretched before us, for we heard the call, / Left the hearthstone and the homeland, felt the rover's thrall; / Wandered to the far horizon, sought the joy of life— / Now the wanderlust is waning, heimweh now is rife.

Etymology

Borrowed from German Wanderlust (“an urge to travel; a love of the ‘great outdoors’”), from wandern (“to wander; to hike”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ- (“to turn; to wind”)) + Lust (“a desire, a wish to do or have something; fun, pleasure”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewH- (“to separate; to set free; to untie”)); analysable as wander + lust.

This word in other languages

bougeotte(Français)Fernweh(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awnderlust
  • wadnerlust
  • wandderlust
  • wandelrust
  • wanderllust
  • wanderlsut
  • wanderlusst
  • wanderlustt
  • wanderluts
  • wanderrlust
  • wanderulst
  • wandrelust
  • wanedrlust
  • wannderlust
  • wnaderlust
  • wwanderlust

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wanderlust - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

awnderlust2wadnerlust2wandderlust1wandelrust2wanderllust1wanderlsut2wanderlusst1wanderlustt1
Edit distance from "wanderlust"

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 "wanderlust"?
"wanderlust" is spelled W-A-N-D-E-R-L-U-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɒndəlʌst/.
What does "wanderlust" mean?
As a noun, "wanderlust" means: A strong impulse or longing to travel.
What are common misspellings of "wanderlust"?
Common misspellings include "awnderlust", "wadnerlust", "wandderlust", "wandelrust", "wanderllust". The correct spelling is "wanderlust".
How do you pronounce "wanderlust"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wanderlust" is /ˈwɒndəlʌst/. 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 "wanderlust"?
Borrowed from German Wanderlust (“an urge to travel; a love of the ‘great outdoors’”), from wandern (“to wander; to hike”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ- (“to turn; to wind”)) + Lust (“a desire, a wish to do or have something; fun, p... 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 "wanderlust", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

weightless#44,571wheelhouse#44,572Vandenberg#44,555ultralight#44,543

Similar misspelling depth

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

unobtrusive16 variantsthereabouts16 variantsapologetics16 variantsbackpacker16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list