inhuman
/ɪnˈhjuːmən/adjective
inhuman is spelled I-N-H-U-M-A-N: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “inhuman vs inhumane” about 1,000 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, inhuman means “Of or pertaining to inhumanity and the indifferently cruel, sadistic or barbaric behavior it brings” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in inhuman?
| Letters | 7: I-N-H-U-M-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,356th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people 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); 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 common is inhuman?
Inhuman appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th 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 inhuman?
- /ɪnˈhjuːmən/
Inhuman 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)-Vininn126-inhuman.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with inhuman
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: inhumane.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of inhuman
- more inhuman comparative
- most inhuman superlative
- inhumane
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inhuman mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to inhumanity and the indifferently cruel, sadistic or barbaric behavior it brings.
- 2
Transcending or different than what is human.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inhuman in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | inhumain |
| German | unmenschlich , inhuman |
| Spanish | inhumano |
| Portuguese | inumano, desumano, desumana |
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 inhuman come from?
From Middle English inhumayne, from Middle French inhumain and its etymon Latin inhūmānus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).