infelicitous

/ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/

//ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"infelicitous" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“infelicitous” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unhappy or unfortunate.

Key facts for infelicitous
PropertyValue
Headwordinfelicitous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “infelicitous” sits in English frequency

infelicitous falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for infelicitous is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for infelicitous, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From in- + felicitous. The correct English form is infelicitous, spelled I-N-F-E-L-I-C-I-T-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unhappy or unfortunate.
  2. 2
    Inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done.
  3. 3
    Of a sentence or utterance: not semantically and pragmatically coherent.

Etymology

From in- + felicitous.

Synonyms

sadlamentableunlucky

This word in other languages

infortunado(Español)infortuné(Français)ungeschickt(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "infelicitous"?
"infelicitous" is spelled I-N-F-E-L-I-C-I-T-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/.
What does "infelicitous" mean?
As an adjective, "infelicitous" means: Unhappy or unfortunate.
How do you pronounce "infelicitous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infelicitous" is /ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "infelicitous"?
From in- + felicitous. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “infelicitous”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-F-E-L-I-C-I-T-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list