elegant

/ˈɛl.ə.ɡənt/

//ˈɛl.ə.ɡənt// adj

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

"elegant" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“elegant” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,682. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,682
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Characterised by or exhibiting elegance; having grace, refinement, or tasteful simplicity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-elegant · elegant · English

elegant · rank #7,682 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,682
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH eats

Nearest frequency peer: eats (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “elegant”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “elegant” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

elegant vs element
71% similar
elegant vs elephant
75% similar
elegant vs elegantly
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for elegant
PropertyValue
Headwordelegant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɛl.ə.ɡənt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#7,682
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “elegant”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).elegantlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “eats” (#7,681), “elevator” (#7,683), “dudes” (#7,680). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “elegant” is #7,682. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around elegant (IPA /ˈɛl.ə.ɡənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,682 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for elegant, with forms such as "eelgant", "eleagnt", and "elegannt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "element", "elephant", "elegantly", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English elegaunt, from Middle French elegant, ultimately from Latin ēlegāns. The correct English form is elegant, spelled E-L-E-G-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Characterised by or exhibiting elegance; having grace, refinement, or tasteful simplicity.
  2. 2
    Characterised by minimalism and intuitiveness while preserving exactness and precision.
  3. 3
    Fine; doing well.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You could just use ordinary shop-bought kecap manis to marinade the meat, but making your own is easy, has a far more elegant fragrance and is, above all, such a great brag! Flavouring kecap manis is an intensely personal thing, so try this version now and next time cook the sauce down with crushed, split lemongrass and a shredded lime leaf.
  2. an elegant solution

Etymology

From Late Middle English elegaunt, from Middle French elegant, ultimately from Latin ēlegāns.

This word in other languages

elegante(Español)élégant(Français)elegant(Deutsch)elegante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eelgant
  • eleagnt
  • elegannt
  • elegantt
  • elegatn
  • eleggant
  • elegnat
  • elgeant
  • ellegant
  • leegant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of elegant - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eelgant2eleagnt2elegannt1elegantt1elegatn2eleggant1elegnat2elgeant2
Edit distance from "elegant"

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 "elegant"?
"elegant" is spelled E-L-E-G-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛl.ə.ɡənt/.
What does "elegant" mean?
As an adjective, "elegant" means: Characterised by or exhibiting elegance; having grace, refinement, or tasteful simplicity.
What words are commonly confused with "elegant"?
"elegant" is commonly confused with "element", "elephant", "elegantly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "elegant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "elegant" is /ˈɛl.ə.ɡənt/. 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 "elegant"?
From Late Middle English elegaunt, from Middle French elegant, ultimately from Latin ēlegāns. 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 "elegant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

execute#7,687Finland#7,690denying#7,673cousins#7,669

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

bargain10 variantsreplies10 variantstricky10 variantssecular10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list