inane
/ɪˈneɪn/adjective, noun
inane is spelled I-N-A-N-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,660th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, inane means “Lacking sense or meaning, often to the point of boredom or annoyance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in inane?
| Letters | 5: I-N-A-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,660th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 inane?
Inane appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,660th 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 inane?
- US /ɪˈneɪn/
- Australia /ɪˈnæɪn/
Inane has 2 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-au-inane.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with inane?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as inane from its last stressed vowel (/eɪn/):
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 inane
- inaner comparative
- more inane comparative
- inanest superlative
- most inane superlative
- inanes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inane mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Lacking sense or meaning, often to the point of boredom or annoyance.
This supremely gifted kid told me that in the early elementary grades, the songs sung in music class were so inane that he wanted to skip grades already! Eventually he did, so better late than never.
- 2
Purposeless; pointless.
noun
- 1
That which is void or empty.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inane in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | inepte, insensé, niais, inane , inutile |
| German | sinnlos, albern, bedeutungslos, sinnfrei, inhaltsleer, hohl |
| Portuguese | inane, vão, vazio, fútil |
| Spanish | inane |
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 inane come from?
From Latin inānis (“empty, vain, useless”), of unknown origin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).