benighted
be·night·ed/bɪˈnaɪtɪd/adjective, verb
benighted is spelled B-E-N-I-G-H-T-E-D: 9 letters and 3 syllables (be·night·ed). It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, benighted means “Lacking education or knowledge; unenlightened; also, lacking morality; immoral, unscrupulous” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in benighted?
| Letters | 9: B-E-N-I-G-H-T-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: be·night·ed |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 76,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is benighted?
Benighted appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce benighted?
- UK /bɪˈnaɪtɪd/
- US /bɪˈnaɪtɪd/
- US /bə-/
Benighted has 3 syllables, split be·night·ed in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-benighted.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with benighted?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as benighted from its last stressed vowel (/aɪtɪd/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of benighted
- more benighted comparative
- most benighted superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does benighted mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
obsoleteOvertaken by night; especially of a traveller, etc.: caught out by oncoming night before reaching one's destination.
I recollect well losing the goodwill of my old grandmother by allowing a benighted wagoner to light his lantern while her back was turned, […]
- 2
obsoletePlunged into darkness.
- 3
Lacking education or knowledge; unenlightened; also, lacking morality; immoral, unscrupulous.
- 4
obsoleteDifficult to understand; abstruse, obscure.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of benight
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Benighted in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense overtaken by night:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | apanhado pela noite, surpreendido pela noite, envolvido pela noite |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does benighted come from?
From benight + -ed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).