inappropriate
in·ap·pro·pri·ate/ˌɪnəˈpɹoʊpɹi.ət/adjective
inappropriate is spelled I-N-A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-E, 5 syllables: in·ap·pro·pri·ate. The wrong spelling people search most is inappropiate: about 80 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 63 of all searches for the word. Inappropriate is an adjective meaning “Not appropriate; not suitable for the situation, time, or place”.
How many letters and syllables are in inappropriate?
| Letters | 13: I-N-A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: in·ap·pro·pri·ate |
| In writing | 9.8 times per million words; the 7,224th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 2; the most searched, inappropiate, about 80 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell inappropriate?
Inappropriate is spelled I-N-A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-E. 2 wrong spellings are searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 37 of the searches for inappropriate in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is inappropriate?
Inappropriate appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th 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 inappropriate?
- UK /ˌɪnəˈpɹəʊpɹi.ət/
- US /ˌɪnəˈpɹoʊpɹi.ət/
Inappropriate has 5 syllables, split in·ap·pro·pri·ate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-inappropriate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of inappropriate
- more inappropriate comparative
- most inappropriate superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inappropriate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not appropriate; not suitable for the situation, time, or place.
It is inappropriate to burp at a formal dinner.
- 2
informalImproper; adult; sexual.
kids saying inappropriate things
- 3
informal(of an action or thing) vile or unpleasant; repulsive.
Discrimination and abuse are examples of inappropriate actions.
- 4
informalToo vile.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inappropriate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not appropriate or suitable:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | inapproprié, déplacé |
| German | unangebracht, unangemessen, unpassend |
| Portuguese | inapropriado, improcedente |
| Spanish | inapropiado, improcedente |
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 inappropriate come from?
From in- + appropriate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).