intellectualism

noun

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

"intellectualism" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“intellectualism” is uncommon English (frequency #53,019 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,019
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The use or development of the intellect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intellectualism · intellectualism · English

intellectualism · rank #53,019 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,019
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH interferometer

Nearest frequency peer: interferometer (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “intellectualism”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “intellectualism” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for intellectualism
PropertyValue
Headwordintellectualism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters15
Frequency rank#53,019
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “intellectualism” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).intellectualismfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “interferometer” (#53,020), “infamously” (#53,016), “IPSO” (#53,023). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intellectualism” is #53,019. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

intellectualism is uncommon English at frequency #53,019 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for intellectualism, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From intellectual + -ism. The correct English form is intellectualism, spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-E-C-T-U-A-L-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The use or development of the intellect.
  2. 2
    The doctrine that knowledge is derived from pure reason.
  3. 3
    The use of mental attributes as a criterion or value.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how intellectualism appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I don't think much of you yet — I wish I could — though you do go talking and lecturing up and down the country to crowded audiences, and are busy with all sorts of philanthropic intellectualism, and circulating libraries and museums, and Heaven only knows what besides, and try to make us think, through newspaper reports, that you are, even as we, of the…

Etymology

From intellectual + -ism.

Synonyms

rationalism

This word in other languages

intellectualisme(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "intellectualism"?
"intellectualism" is spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-E-C-T-U-A-L-I-S-M.
What does "intellectualism" mean?
As a noun, "intellectualism" means: The use or development of the intellect.
What is the origin of the word "intellectualism"?
From intellectual + -ism. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "intellectualism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 15 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

morphologically#53,116reconfiguration#53,202standardisation#53,275sympathetically#52,663

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list