elude
/ɪˈljuːd/verb
elude is spelled E-L-U-D-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “allude vs elude” about 4,400 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, elude means “To evade or escape from (someone or something), especially by using cunning or skill” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in elude?
| Letters | 5: E-L-U-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is elude?
Elude appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd 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 elude?
- /ɪˈljuːd/
- British [ɪˈlʉwd]
- /ɪˈlyːd/
Elude 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: En-uk-elude.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with elude
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of elude
- eludes present, singular, he/she/it
- eluding participle, present
- eluded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does elude mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To evade or escape from (someone or something), especially by using cunning or skill.
- 2
To shake off (a pursuer); to give someone the slip.
- 3
To escape being understandable to; to be incomprehensible to.
I get algebra, but calculus eludes me.
- 4
To escape someone's memory, to slip someone's mind.
The solution of that brainteaser eludes me and the name of the author eludes my memory too.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Elude in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | éluder , oublier |
| German | sich entziehen, entgehen, entkommen, umgehen, aus dem Weg gehen , abschütteln |
| Portuguese | escapar, esquivar , estar esquecido |
| Spanish | eludir , estar olvidado, olvidársele |
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 elude come from?
From Latin ēlūdō (“to evade, elude”), from ē- (“out of”, short form of ex-) + lūdō (“to play; to trick”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).