illiterate
/ɪˈlɪtəɹət/
"illiterate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“illiterate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,860 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #17,860
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unable to read and write.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | illiterate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ɪˈlɪtəɹət/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #17,860 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “illiterate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for illiterate is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪˈlɪtəɹət/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,860 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for illiterate, with forms such as "ililterate", "iliterate", and "illietrate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "illiteracy", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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 lette… The correct English form is illiterate, spelled I-L-L-I-T-E-R-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1Unable to read and write.
- 2Having less than an expected standard of familiarity with language and literature, or having little formal education.
- 3Not conforming to prescribed standards of speech or writing.
- 4Ignorant in a specified way or about a specified subject.
Etymology
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).
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ililterate,iliterate,illietrate,illitearte,illiteraet,illiteratte,illiterrate,illitertae,illitreate,illitterate,illtierate,liliterate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of illiterate - 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.
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 "illiterate"?
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Using “illiterate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-L-L-I-T-E-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪˈlɪtəɹət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “illiteracy” - see the side-by-side comparison. illiterate vs illiteracy
- 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.