indistinct
/ˌɪndɪsˈtɪŋkt/adjective
indistinct is spelled I-N-D-I-S-T-I-N-C-T: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, indistinct means “not clearly defined or not having a sharp outline; faint or dim” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in indistinct?
| Letters | 10: I-N-D-I-S-T-I-N-C-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,214th 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 indistinct?
Indistinct appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th 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 indistinct?
- /ˌɪndɪsˈtɪŋkt/
Indistinct has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-indistinct.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-indistinct.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of indistinct
- more indistinct comparative
- most indistinct superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does indistinct mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
not clearly defined or not having a sharp outline; faint or dim
indistinct sign
- 2
hazy or vague
- 3
difficult to understand through being muffled or slurred
indistinct consonant sound
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Indistinct in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not clearly defined:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | indistinto |
| Spanish | indistinto |
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 indistinct come from?
From Middle French indistinct, from Latin indistinctus. English equivalent in- + distinct.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).