immaterial
im·ma·ter·i·al/ˌɪ.məˈtɪ.ɹi.əl/adjective, noun
immaterial is spelled I-M-M-A-T-E-R-I-A-L: 10 letters and 5 syllables (im·ma·ter·i·al). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, immaterial means “Having no matter or substance; incorporeal” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in immaterial?
| Letters | 10: I-M-M-A-T-E-R-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: im·ma·ter·i·al |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,236th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is immaterial?
Immaterial appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th 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 immaterial?
- UK /ˌɪ.məˈtɪə.ɹɪ.əl/
- US /ˌɪ.məˈtɪ.ɹi.əl/
- Canada /ˌɪ.məˈti.ɹi.əl/
Immaterial has 5 syllables, split im·ma·ter·i·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-immaterial.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with immaterial?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as immaterial from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɹiəl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of immaterial
- more immaterial comparative
- most immaterial superlative
- immaterials plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does immaterial mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having no matter or substance; incorporeal.
Some believe that because ghosts are immaterial, they can pass through walls.
- 2
Of the nature of the soul or spirit; spiritual.
- 3
Of no importance; inconsequential, insignificant, unimportant.
- 4
rareHaving or seeming to have very little substance; insubstantial, slight.
- 5
Especially of evidence; chiefly followed by to: not associated in any way that is important or useful to the context being discussed; irrelevant.
Objection, your Honour! The defendant’s criminal record is immaterial to this case.
noun
- 1
A being or entity having no matter or substance.
- 2
A thing which is abstract or intangible; (uncountable) chiefly preceded by the: things which are abstract or intangible considered collectively.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Immaterial in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having no matter or substance – see also incorporeal:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | immatériel |
| German | immateriell |
| Portuguese | imaterial |
| Spanish | inmaterial |
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 immaterial come from?
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English immaterial, inmateriall (“incorporeal; spiritual”), from Middle French immateriel (“not material”) (modern French immatériel), and from its etymon Medieval Latin immāteriālis (“not material”), from Latin im- (a variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘not’)) + māteriālis (“made of matter, material”) (from māteria (“matter, substance, material”) (from māter, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr, + ia) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship)). The English word is analysable as im- + material. The noun is derived from the adjective.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).