illiterate
/ɪˈlɪtəɹət/adjective, noun
illiterate is spelled I-L-L-I-T-E-R-A-T-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, illiterate means “Unable to read and write” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in illiterate?
| Letters | 10: I-L-L-I-T-E-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in 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).
How common is illiterate?
Illiterate appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th 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 illiterate?
- /ɪˈlɪtəɹət/
- /ɪˈlɪtɹət/
Illiterate has 4 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-us-illiterate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of illiterate
- more illiterate comparative
- most illiterate superlative
- illiterates plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does illiterate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Unable to read and write.
About half of the population in Ethiopia is illiterate.
- 2
Having less than an expected standard of familiarity with language and literature, or having little formal education.
- 3
Not conforming to prescribed standards of speech or writing.
- 4
Ignorant in a specified way or about a specified subject.
technologically illiterate, economically illiterate, emotionally illiterate
noun
- 1
An illiterate person, one either not able to read and write or not knowing how.
- 2
A person ignorant about a given subject. (The relevant subject is usually named as a noun adjunct.)
Their government is run by business illiterates.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Illiterate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | illettré, illettrée, analphabète |
| German | analphabetisch , ungebildet, ungelehrt , Analphabet, Analphabetin |
| Portuguese | analfabeto, iletrado , analfabeta |
| Spanish | analfabeto, iletrado, ágrafo , analfabeta, iletrada |
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 illiterate come from?
First attested in 1425–1475, in Middle English; from Middle English illiterat(e) (“uneducated, ignorant of Latin”), borrowed from Latin illīterātus, illitterātus (“unlearned, ignorant”), itself from in- (“un-”) + līterātus, litterātus (“furnished with letters”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from lītera, littera (“letter, character”). The noun was derived from the adjective by substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).