classified
/ˈklæsəfaɪd/adjective, noun, verb
classified is spelled C-L-A-S-S-I-F-I-E-D: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, classified means “Sorted into classes or categories” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in classified?
| Letters | 10: C-L-A-S-S-I-F-I-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 18 times per million words; the 4,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is classified?
Classified appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,589th 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 classified?
- US /ˈklæsəfaɪd/
Classified has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-classified.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of classified
- more classified comparative
- most classified superlative
- classifieds plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does classified mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Sorted into classes or categories.
- 2
Formally assigned by a government to one of several levels of sensitivity, usually (in English) top secret, secret, confidential, and, in some countries, restricted; thereby making disclosure to unauthorized persons illegal.
We do not discuss specific interrogation techniques because they are classified information.
- 3
Not meant to be disclosed by a person or organization.
I won't say who I'm going to the prom with; that's classified.
noun
- 1
informalA classified advertisement in a newspaper or magazine.
He ran a classified for the tools he wanted to sell.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of classify
Make sure all the field observations are classified by species.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Classified in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense formally assigned to a level of sensitivity:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | confidencial, sigiloso, secreto |
| Spanish | confidencial, secreto |
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 classified come from?
From classify + -ed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).