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intellectual

/ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/adjective, noun

intellectual is spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-E-C-T-U-A-L: 12 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 20 times per million words in written English, the 4,302nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, intellectual means “Pertaining to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in intellectual?

Letters12: I-N-T-E-L-L-E-C-T-U-A-L
Syllables5 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing20 times per million words; the 4,302nd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 intellectual?

Intellectual appears 20 times per million words in written English, the 4,302nd 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 intellectual?

  • /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/
  • /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃwəl/
  • /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃəl/

Intellectual has 5 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-us-intellectual.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of intellectual

  • more intellectual comparative
  • most intellectual superlative
  • intellectuall
  • intellectuals plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does intellectual mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Pertaining to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive.

    intellectual powers, activities, etc.

  2. 2

    Endowed with intellect; having a keen sense of understanding; having the capacity for higher forms of knowledge or thought; characterized by intelligence or cleverness

    an intellectual person

  3. 3

    Suitable for exercising one's intellect; perceived by the intellect

    intellectual employments

  4. 4

    Relating to the understanding; treating of the mind.

    intellectual philosophy, sometimes called "mental" philosophy

  5. 5

    archaicSpiritual.

    I deem not profitless those fleeting moods / Of shadowy exultation; not for this, / That they are kindred to our purer mind / And intellectual life […]

noun

  1. 1

    An intelligent, learned person, especially one who discourses about learned matters.

  2. 2

    archaicThe intellect or understanding; mental powers or faculties.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Intellectual in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchintellectuel (belonging to, or performed by, the intellect…), intello (intelligent person, interested in intellectual…)
Germanintellektuell, verstandesmäßig (belonging to, or performed by, the intellect…), Intellektueller, Intellektuelle (intelligent person, interested in intellectual…)
Portugueseintelectual (belonging to, or performed by, the intellect…)
Spanishintelectual (belonging to, or performed by, the intellect…)

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 intellectual come from?

From Old French intellectuel, from Latin intellectualis.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after intellectual