wrongness

/ˈɹɒŋ.nəs/

//ˈɹɒŋ.nəs// noun

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

The verdict

“wrongness” is uncommon English (frequency #81,041 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,041
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The quality of being wrong; error or fault.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wrongness · wrongness · English

wrongness · rank #81,041 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,041
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH wos

Nearest frequency peer: wos (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “wrongness”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “wrongness” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for wrongness
PropertyValue
Headwordwrongness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɒŋ.nəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#81,041
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “wrongness” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).wrongnessfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “wos” (#81,039), “wookie” (#81,038), “wole” (#81,035). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wrongness” is #81,041. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

wrongness is uncommon English at frequency #81,041 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹɒŋ.nəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for wrongness in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wrongnesse, equivalent to wrong + -ness. The correct English form is wrongness, spelled W-R-O-N-G-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality of being wrong; error or fault.
  2. 2
    Wrong or reprehensible things or actions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Often, on the plantation, he had seen the white men take drinks. But there was something somehow different in the manner of Borckman’s taking a drink. Jerry was aware, vaguely, that there was something surreptitious about it. What was wrong he did not know, yet he sensed the wrongness and watched suspiciously.
  2. It’s not true that I’m always thinking of H. Work and conversation make that impossible. But the times when I’m not are perhaps my worst. For then, though I have forgotten the reason, there is spread over everything a vague sense of wrongness, of something amiss.

Etymology

From Middle English wrongnesse, equivalent to wrong + -ness.

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 "wrongness"?
"wrongness" is spelled W-R-O-N-G-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɒŋ.nəs/.
What does "wrongness" mean?
As a noun, "wrongness" means: The quality of being wrong; error or fault.
How do you pronounce "wrongness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wrongness" is /ˈɹɒŋ.nəs/. 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 "wrongness"?
From Middle English wrongnesse, equivalent to wrong + -ness. 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 "wrongness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list