illegitimate

/ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/

//ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət// adj

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

"illegitimate" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“illegitimate” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,497. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,497
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.

Corpus desk

Index EN-illegitimate · illegitimate · English

illegitimate · rank #16,497 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,497
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH hugged

Nearest frequency peer: hugged (-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 “illegitimate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “illegitimate” 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
Key facts for illegitimate
PropertyValue
Headwordillegitimate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/
Letters12
Frequency rank#16,497
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “illegitimate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).illegitimatelands 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 “hugged” (#16,496), “illicit” (#16,498), “hound” (#16,494). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “illegitimate” is #16,497. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around illegitimate (IPA /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #16,497 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for illegitimate, with forms such as "ilegitimate", "ilelgitimate", and "illeggitimate". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1536, from Latin illēgitimus, most likely an adapted borrowing of Middle French illegitime, equivalent to il- + legitimate, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). The correct English form is illegitimate, spelled I-L-L-E-G-I-T-I-M-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.
  2. 2
    Not in accordance with the law.
  3. 3
    Not sanctioned by marriage.
  4. 4
    Not sanctioned by marriage.
  5. 5
    Not sanctioned by marriage.
  6. 6
    Not correctly deduced.
  7. 7
    Not authorized by good usage; not genuine.
  8. 8
    Involving the fertilization of pistils by stamens not of their own length, in heterogonously dimorphic and trimorphic flowers.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] it may be impossible to convince them that the illegitimate power which they obtain, by degrading themselves, is a curse […]
  2. The so-called interstellar space […] has not the properties of ordinary space. It will not conduct sound, nor can a human being move through it. It is therefore illegitimate to measure it in miles.

Etymology

First attested in 1536, from Latin illēgitimus, most likely an adapted borrowing of Middle French illegitime, equivalent to il- + legitimate, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3).

Synonyms

illegitimatebasebasebornbase bornbastardlyextramaritalmisbegottennamelessnaturalspuriousunwanteddegenerate

Antonyms

legitimate

This word in other languages

ilegítimo(Español)illégitime(Français)illegitim(Deutsch)ilegítimo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilegitimate
  • ilelgitimate
  • illeggitimate
  • illegiitmate
  • illegitiamte
  • illegitimaet
  • illegitimatte
  • illegitimmate
  • illegitimtae
  • illegitmiate
  • illegittimate
  • illegtiimate
  • illeigtimate
  • illgeitimate
  • lilegitimate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilegitimate1ilelgitimate2illeggitimate1illegiitmate2illegitiamte2illegitimaet2illegitimatte1illegitimmate1
Edit distance from "illegitimate"

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 "illegitimate"?
"illegitimate" is spelled I-L-L-E-G-I-T-I-M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/.
What does "illegitimate" mean?
As an adjective, "illegitimate" means: Not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.
What are common misspellings of "illegitimate"?
Common misspellings include "ilegitimate", "ilelgitimate", "illeggitimate", "illegiitmate", "illegitiamte". The correct spelling is "illegitimate".
How do you pronounce "illegitimate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "illegitimate" is /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/. 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 "illegitimate"?
First attested in 1536, from Latin illēgitimus, most likely an adapted borrowing of Middle French illegitime, equivalent to il- + legitimate, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). 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 "illegitimate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

incompetence#16,500interception#16,502homelessness#16,489correctional#16,441

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

psychotic15 variantsrelegation15 variantsrepository15 variantsstereotype15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list