wordless
"wordless" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“wordless” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #49,149 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #49,149
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Conveyed without the use of words; unspoken or unsaid.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | wordless |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #49,149 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “wordless” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for wordless is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective. Corpus data places it at rank #49,149 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for wordless, with forms such as "owrdless", "wodrless", and "worddless". 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. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "worthless", "WordPress", "wireless", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wordles, equivalent to word + -less. Compare Dutch woordeloos (“speechless, inexpressible in words”), German wortlos (“silent, speechless”), Danish ordløs (“wordless”), Swedish ordlös (“wordless”), Icelandic orðlaus (“wordless, speechles… The correct English form is wordless, spelled W-O-R-D-L-E-S-S.
Definition
- 1Conveyed without the use of words; unspoken or unsaid.
- 2Unable or unwilling to speak; dumb, silent or inarticulate.
Etymology
From Middle English wordles, equivalent to word + -less. Compare Dutch woordeloos (“speechless, inexpressible in words”), German wortlos (“silent, speechless”), Danish ordløs (“wordless”), Swedish ordlös (“wordless”), Icelandic orðlaus (“wordless, speechless”).
Antonyms
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: owrdless,wodrless,worddless,wordelss,wordles,wordlless,wordlses,worldess,worrdless,wrodless,wwordless
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wordless - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "wordless"?
What does "wordless" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "wordless"?
What is the origin of the word "wordless"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “wordless”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-O-R-D-L-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Don't mix it up with “worthless” - see the side-by-side comparison. wordless vs worthless
- 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.