weak-kneed
"weak-kneed" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“weak-kneed” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lacking will power or strength of character; timid.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | weak-kneed |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “weak-kneed” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for weak-kneed is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for weak-kneed in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is weak-kneed, spelled W-E-A-K---K-N-E-E-D.
Definition
- 1Lacking will power or strength of character; timid.
- 2Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see weak, kneed.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “weak-kneed”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-E-A-K---K-N-E-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.