wilderness

/ˈwɪldənəs/

//ˈwɪldənəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“wilderness” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,763. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,763
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Uncultivated and unsettled land in its natural state inhabited by wild animals and with vegetation growing wild; (countable) a tract of such land; a waste or wild.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wilderness · wilderness · English

wilderness · rank #7,763 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,763
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH wang

Nearest frequency peer: wang (-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 “wilderness”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “wilderness” 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 wilderness
PropertyValue
Headwordwilderness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪldənəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#7,763
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wilderness”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).wildernesslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “wang” (#7,762), “admits” (#7,764), “Walmart” (#7,761). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wilderness” is #7,763. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around wilderness (IPA /ˈwɪldənəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,763 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for wilderness, with forms such as "iwlderness", "widlerness", and "wildderness". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wildernes, wildernesse (“desolate or uninhabited place, desolation”) [and other forms], and then either: * from Middle English wilderne (“deserted or uninhabited place, wilderness; land not yet settled”) [and other forms] (from Old Engli… The correct English form is wilderness, spelled W-I-L-D-E-R-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Uncultivated and unsettled land in its natural state inhabited by wild animals and with vegetation growing wild; (countable) a tract of such land; a waste or wild.
  2. 2
    A place other than land (for example, the air or sea) that is uncared for, and therefore devoted to disorder or wildness.
  3. 3
    An ornamental part of a garden or park cultivated with trees and often a maze to evoke a natural wilderness.
  4. 4
    Unrefinedness; wildness.
  5. 5
    Chiefly followed by of: a bewildering flock or throng; a large, often jumbled, collection of things.
  6. 6
    A place or situation that is bewildering and in which one may get lost.
  7. 7
    Preceded by in the: a situation of disfavour or lack of recognition; (specifically, politics) of a politician, political party, etc.: a situation of being out of office.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For ſtill he traueild through wide waſtfull ground, / That nought but deſert wilderneſſe ſhewed all around.
  2. O my poore kingdome! ſicke with ciuill blowes: / VVhen that my care could not withhold thy riots, / VVhat wilt thou do when riot is thy care? / O thou wilt be a wilderneſſe againe, / Peopled with woolues, thy old inhabitants.

Etymology

From Middle English wildernes, wildernesse (“desolate or uninhabited place, desolation”) [and other forms], and then either: * from Middle English wilderne (“deserted or uninhabited place, wilderness; land not yet settled”) [and other forms] (from Old English wilddeōren (“savage, wild”); see below) + -nes, -nesse (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting qualities or states); or * from Old English *wildēornes, *wilddēornes, either from wilddēor (“wild animal”) [and other forms] or wilddēoren (“savage, wild”) (from wilddēor + -en (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘consisting of; material made of’)) + -nes (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting qualities or states). Wilddēor is derived from wilde (“savage, wild”) (ultimately either from Proto-Indo-European *wel-, *welw- (“hair, wool; ear of corn, grass; forest”), or *gʷʰel- (“wild”)) + dēor (“beast, wild animal”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwes- (“to breathe; breath; soul, spirit; creature”)). The English word is cognate with Danish vildnis (“wilderness”), German Wildernis, Wildnis (“wilderness”), Middle Dutch wildernisse (“wilderness”) (modern Dutch wildernis (“wilderness”)), Middle Low German wildernisse (“wilderness”) (German Low German Wildernis (“wilderness”)), Saterland Frisian Wüüldernis (“wilderness”), West Frisian wyldernis (“wilderness”). Sense 3.3 (“situation of disfavour or lack of recognition”) is a reference to Numbers 14:32–33 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “But as for you, your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness.”

Synonyms

bushlandwildwildernesswildland

This word in other languages

descampado(Español)Wildnis(Deutsch)mato(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwlderness
  • widlerness
  • wildderness
  • wildenress
  • wilderenss
  • wildernes
  • wildernness
  • wildernses
  • wilderrness
  • wildreness
  • wiledrness
  • willderness
  • wliderness
  • wwilderness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

iwlderness2widlerness2wildderness1wildenress2wilderenss2wildernes1wildernness1wildernses2
Edit distance from "wilderness"

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 "wilderness"?
"wilderness" is spelled W-I-L-D-E-R-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪldənəs/.
What does "wilderness" mean?
As a noun, "wilderness" means: Uncultivated and unsettled land in its natural state inhabited by wild animals and with vegetation growing wild; (countable) a tract of such land; a waste or wild.
What are common misspellings of "wilderness"?
Common misspellings include "iwlderness", "widlerness", "wildderness", "wildenress", "wilderenss". The correct spelling is "wilderness".
How do you pronounce "wilderness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wilderness" is /ˈwɪldənəs/. 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 "wilderness"?
From Middle English wildernes, wildernesse (“desolate or uninhabited place, desolation”) [and other forms], and then either: * from Middle English wilderne (“deserted or uninhabited place, wilderness; land not yet settled”) [and other forms] (from... 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 "wilderness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

automobile#7,772terrifying#7,753supervisor#7,749meditation#7,714

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

sanctions14 variantssalvation14 variantslicensing14 variantsFrederick14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list