effete
/ɪˈfit/adjective
effete is spelled E-F-F-E-T-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 84,254th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, effete means “Lacking strength or vitality; feeble, powerless, impotent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in effete?
| Letters | 6: E-F-F-E-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 84,254th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 effete?
Effete appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 84,254th 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 effete?
- UK /ɪˈfiːt/
- US /ɪˈfit/
- US /ɛˈfit/
Effete has 2 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)-I_learned_some_phrases-effete.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with effete?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as effete from its last stressed vowel (/it/):
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 effete
- more effete comparative
- most effete superlative
- effœte
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does effete mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
obsoleteexhausted, spent, worn-out.
- 2
Lacking strength or vitality; feeble, powerless, impotent.
- 3
Decadent, weak through self-indulgence.
- 4
Affected, overrefined.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Effete in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | affaibli , décadent |
| German | kraftlos, entkräftet, schwach, erschöpft, schwächlich, lasch |
| Spanish | débil , decadente |
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 effete come from?
From Latin effētus (“exhausted”, literally “that has given birth”), 1620s.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).