worn-out
/ˈwɔːn.aʊt/
"worn-out" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“worn-out” 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
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Damaged due to continued or hard exposure or use until no longer effective or useful.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | worn-out |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈwɔːn.aʊt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “worn-out” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for worn-out is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɔːn.aʊt/. 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.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for worn-out, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword 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: From worn (adjective; and past participle of wear) + out. The correct English form is worn-out, spelled W-O-R-N---O-U-T.
Definition
- 1Damaged due to continued or hard exposure or use until no longer effective or useful.
- 2Of a person or animal: exhausted or fatigued from exertion.
Etymology
From worn (adjective; and past participle of wear) + out.
This word in other languages
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 “worn-out”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-O-R-N---O-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈwɔːn.aʊt/ (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
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.