Is *Irregardless a Word? | Definition & Spelling

Regardless is an adverb meaning “despite everything.” It’s often used as a transition word at the start of a sentence to change the topic.

“Irregardless” is sometimes used instead of regardless. While “irregardless” may be used in informal contexts, it is considered nonstandard and should be avoided in formal or academic writing.

Examples: Irregardless and regardless in a sentence
Nonstandard: I might lose, but I’m going to try irregardless.

Standard: I might lose, but I’m going to try regardless.

Fix common mistakes for free
grammar-checker-common-mistakes

Fix mistakes for free

Regardless of

Regardless can also be used as part of the prepositional phrase regardless of meaning “heedless of” or “careless of.” “Irregardless of” is never correct.

Examples: Regardless of in a sentence
Mia decided to buy the new car, regardless of the cost.

I go running every day, regardless of the weather.

Check for common mistakes

Use the best grammar checker available to check for common mistakes in your text.

grammar-checker-common-mistakes

Fix mistakes for free

Other interesting articles

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or writing rules make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Frequently asked questions

What does “irregardless” mean?

“Irregardless” is often used to mean regardless. However, “irregardless” is considered a nonstandard word, and it should be avoided in formal or academic writing.

“Irregardless” is often seen as incorrect because it adds the prefix “ir-,” which usually expresses negation, but actually means the same thing as regardless, not the opposite. While you may hear people say “irregardless,” it’s almost never encountered in published writing.

What is a synonym for “regardless”?

Some synonyms and near synonyms of regardless include:

  • Anyway
  • In any case
  • Nevertheless
  • Nonetheless

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Ryan, E. (2023, October 16). Is *Irregardless a Word? | Definition & Spelling. Scribbr. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/common-mistakes/irregardless/

Is this article helpful?
Eoghan Ryan

Eoghan has a lot of experience with theses and dissertations at bachelor's, MA, and PhD level. He has taught university English courses, helping students to improve their research and writing.