worthless

/ˈwɝθləs/

//ˈwɝθləs// adj

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

"worthless" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“worthless” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,424. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,424
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having no worth or use; without value.

Corpus desk

Index EN-worthless · worthless · English

worthless · rank #9,424 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,424
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH woody

Nearest frequency peer: woody (-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 “worthless”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “worthless” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

worthless vs wordless
78% similar
worthless vs worthiness
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for worthless
PropertyValue
Headwordworthless
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈwɝθləs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,424
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “worthless”

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).worthlesslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “woody” (#9,423), “yacht” (#9,425), “willingness” (#9,422). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “worthless” is #9,424. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around worthless (IPA /ˈwɝθləs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,424 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Having no worth or use; without value.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for worthless, with forms such as "owrthless", "worhtless", and "worrthless". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "wordless", "worthiness", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *worthles, from Old English weorþlēas (“worthless”), equivalent to worth + -less. Cognate with Dutch waardeloos (“worthless”), German wertlos (“worthless”), Swedish värdelös (“worthless”). The correct English form is worthless, spelled W-O-R-T-H-L-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having no worth or use; without value.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Don’t be a worthless slouch! Go get yourself a job.
  2. Lies are as important as truth, for without lies, the truth is worthless.

Etymology

From Middle English *worthles, from Old English weorþlēas (“worthless”), equivalent to worth + -less. Cognate with Dutch waardeloos (“worthless”), German wertlos (“worthless”), Swedish värdelös (“worthless”).

Synonyms

for the birdsgood-for-naughtgood-for-nothingnot worth a damnnot worth a dimenot worth a plug nickelnot worth a brass farthingnot worth a centnot worth a cressnot worth a cursenot worth a Continentalnot worth a farthingnot worth a nickelnot worth a pennynot worth saltnot worth a whistleof no valueotiosevaluelessnullworthlessworth nothingwutless

Antonyms

valuablepreciousinvaluablepriceless

This word in other languages

despreciable(Español)misérable(Français)wertlos(Deutsch)inútil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • owrthless
  • worhtless
  • worrthless
  • worthelss
  • worthhless
  • worthles
  • worthlless
  • worthlses
  • wortlhess
  • wortthless
  • wotrhless
  • wrothless
  • wworthless

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of worthless - 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.

owrthless2worhtless2worrthless1worthelss2worthhless1worthles1worthlless1worthlses2
Edit distance from "worthless"

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 "worthless"?
"worthless" is spelled W-O-R-T-H-L-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɝθləs/.
What does "worthless" mean?
As an adjective, "worthless" means: Having no worth or use; without value.
What words are commonly confused with "worthless"?
"worthless" is commonly confused with "wordless", "worthiness". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "worthless"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "worthless" is /ˈwɝθləs/. 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 "worthless"?
From Middle English *worthles, from Old English weorþlēas (“worthless”), equivalent to worth + -less. Cognate with Dutch waardeloos (“worthless”), German wertlos (“worthless”), Swedish värdelös (“worthless”). 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 "worthless", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

accompany#9,429assurance#9,439battalion#9,442Bulgarian#9,448

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

twilight13 variantsforwards13 variantshealthier13 variantsinjustice13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list