illegitimate

Name: illegitimate, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/

//ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət// adj

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“illegitimate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,497 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#16,497
frequency rank, English: 12
letters: 15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.

Key facts for illegitimate
Property	Value
Headword	illegitimate
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/
Letters	12
Frequency rank	#16,497
Misspellings tracked	15
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “illegitimate” 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). illegitimate lands here:

#16,497

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for illegitimate is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,497 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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

illegitimate base basebornbase bornbastardly extramarital misbegotten nameless natural spurious unwanted degenerate

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.

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.

Using “illegitimate”

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-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/ (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.