elicit

/ɪˈlɪsɪt/

//ɪˈlɪsɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“elicit” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,372. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,372
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To evoke, educe (emotions, feelings, responses, etc.); to generate, obtain, or provoke as a response or answer.

Corpus desk

Index EN-elicit · elicit · English

elicit · rank #25,372 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,372
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH elasticity

Nearest frequency peer: elasticity (-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 “elicit”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “elicit” 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).

elicit vs evict
67% similar
elicit vs elixir
67% similar
elicit vs elitist
71% similar

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

Key facts for elicit
PropertyValue
Headwordelicit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪˈlɪsɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,372
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “elicit”

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).elicitlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “elasticity” (#25,371), “eo” (#25,373), “epoxy” (#25,374). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “elicit” is #25,372. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around elicit (IPA /ɪˈlɪsɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,372 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for elicit, with forms such as "eilcit", "elciit", and "eliccit". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "evict", "elixir", "elitist", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin elicitus from eliciō (“draw forth”). The correct English form is elicit, spelled E-L-I-C-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To evoke, educe (emotions, feelings, responses, etc.); to generate, obtain, or provoke as a response or answer.
  2. 2
    To draw out, bring out, bring forth (something latent); to obtain information from someone or something.
  3. 3
    To use logic to arrive at truth; to derive by reason.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Shouts of laughter were elicited, smart biddings drawn out, from the whispers of a timid miss, to the stentorian voice of a fox-hunting squire, and not a few fracas from parties either contending for a supposed prize, or disclaiming their chance for it,...
  2. Elizabeth's queenship elicited her subjects' fantasies and fears that she was, as Shakespeare's Cleopatra puts it, “no more but e'en a woman,” and that a woman ruling over men would necessarily subject her entire realm to unbridled feminine sexual desire.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin elicitus from eliciō (“draw forth”).

This word in other languages

provocar(Español)susciter(Français)hervorrufen(Deutsch)provocar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eilcit
  • elciit
  • eliccit
  • elicitt
  • elicti
  • eliict
  • ellicit
  • leicit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of elicit - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

eilcit2elciit2eliccit1elicitt1elicti2eliict2ellicit1leicit2
Edit distance from "elicit"

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 "elicit"?
"elicit" is spelled E-L-I-C-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈlɪsɪt/.
What does "elicit" mean?
As a verb, "elicit" means: To evoke, educe (emotions, feelings, responses, etc.); to generate, obtain, or provoke as a response or answer.
What words are commonly confused with "elicit"?
"elicit" is commonly confused with "evict", "elixir", "elitist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "elicit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "elicit" is /ɪˈlɪsɪt/. 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 "elicit"?
Borrowed from Latin elicitus from eliciō (“draw forth”). 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 "elicit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Django#25,357flimsy#25,387footer#25,389dispel#25,354

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

eyeball8 variantsGiroud8 variantsGlock8 variantshyung8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list