illegible

/ɪˈlɛd͡ʒəbəl/

//ɪˈlɛd͡ʒəbəl// adj

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

"illegible" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“illegible” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,997. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,997
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not clear enough to be read; unreadable; not legible or decipherable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-illegible · illegible · English

illegible · rank #49,997 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #49,997
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ilan

Nearest frequency peer: Ilan (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “illegible”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “illegible” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for illegible
PropertyValue
Headwordillegible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪˈlɛd͡ʒəbəl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#49,997
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “illegible” sits in English frequency

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Ilan” (#49,996), “immunological” (#49,999), “hypertext” (#49,994). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around illegible (IPA /ɪˈlɛd͡ʒəbəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #49,997 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Not clear enough to be read; unreadable; not legible or decipherable.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for illegible, with forms such as "ilegible", "ilelgible", and "illegable". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From il- + legible. The correct English form is illegible, spelled I-L-L-E-G-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not clear enough to be read; unreadable; not legible or decipherable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. illegible handwriting
  2. illegible scribbles

Etymology

From il- + legible.

Synonyms

dirtyfoulindecipherablemarked-upunclearundecipherableunreadable

This word in other languages

ilegible(Español)illisible(Français)unleserlich(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilegible
  • ilelgible
  • illegable
  • illegbile
  • illeggible
  • illegibble
  • illegibel
  • illegiblle
  • illegilbe
  • illeigble
  • illgeible
  • lilegible

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of illegible - 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.

ilegible1ilelgible2illegable1illegbile2illeggible1illegibble1illegibel2illegiblle1
Edit distance from "illegible"

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 "illegible"?
"illegible" is spelled I-L-L-E-G-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈlɛd͡ʒəbəl/.
What does "illegible" mean?
As an adjective, "illegible" means: Not clear enough to be read; unreadable; not legible or decipherable.
What are common misspellings of "illegible"?
Common misspellings include "ilegible", "ilelgible", "illegable", "illegbile", "illeggible". The correct spelling is "illegible".
How do you pronounce "illegible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "illegible" is /ɪˈlɛd͡ʒəbəl/. 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 "illegible"?
From il- + legible. 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 "illegible", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hypertext#49,994hygienist#49,993interbank#50,007hillcrest#49,978

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Goldwyn12 variantsfreakish12 variantsentrails12 variantsembellish12 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "illegible". Here's where to go from here.

  • 12 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #49,997 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "I" letter cohort. I–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list