illegitimacy
/ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪməsi/
"illegitimacy" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“illegitimacy” is an uncommon English word, ranked #75,065 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #75,065
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state of being illegitimate.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | illegitimacy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪməsi/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #75,065 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “illegitimacy” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for illegitimacy is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪməsi/. Corpus data places it at rank #75,065 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for illegitimacy, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From illegitimate + -cy; may also be analyzed as il- + legitimacy. The correct English form is illegitimacy, spelled I-L-L-E-G-I-T-I-M-A-C-Y.
Definition
- 1The state of being illegitimate.
- 2The state of being illegitimate.
Etymology
From illegitimate + -cy; may also be analyzed as il- + legitimacy.
This word in other languages
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 "illegitimacy"?
What does "illegitimacy" mean?
How do you pronounce "illegitimacy"?
What is the origin of the word "illegitimacy"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “illegitimacy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-L-L-E-G-I-T-I-M-A-C-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪməsi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.