effete

/ɪˈfiːt/

//ɪˈfiːt// adj

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

"effete" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“effete” is uncommon English (frequency #84,202 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,202
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - exhausted, spent, worn-out.

Corpus desk

Index EN-effete · effete · English

effete · rank #84,202 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,202
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH effervescence

Nearest frequency peer: effervescence (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “effete”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for effete
PropertyValue
Headwordeffete
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪˈfiːt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#84,202
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “effete” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).effetefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “effervescence” (#84,201), “elastomeric” (#84,204), “Eloi” (#84,208). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “effete” is #84,202. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

effete is uncommon English at frequency #84,202 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪˈfiːt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for effete in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin effētus (“exhausted”, literally “that has given birth”), 1620s. The correct English form is effete, spelled E-F-F-E-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    exhausted, spent, worn-out.
  2. 2
    Lacking strength or vitality; feeble, powerless, impotent.
  3. 3
    Decadent, weak through self-indulgence.
  4. 4
    Affected, overrefined.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Nature is not effœte, as he saith, or so lavish, to bestow all her gifts upon an age, but hath reserved some for posterity, to shew her power, that she is still the same, and not old or consumed.
  2. Amid the effete monarchies and princedoms of feudal Europe, morally and materially exhausted by the Thirty Years' War, the only hope of resistance to France lay in the little Republic of merchants, Holland.

Etymology

From Latin effētus (“exhausted”, literally “that has given birth”), 1620s.

This word in other languages

débil(Español)affaibli(Français)kraftlos(Deutsch)

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 "effete"?
"effete" is spelled E-F-F-E-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈfiːt/.
What does "effete" mean?
As an adjective, "effete" means: exhausted, spent, worn-out.
How do you pronounce "effete"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "effete" is /ɪˈfiːt/. 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 "effete"?
From Latin effētus (“exhausted”, literally “that has given birth”), 1620s. 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 "effete", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

emptor#84,211Dysart#84,191Dimond#84,172diatom#84,167

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list