intelligibility

/ɪnˌtɛl.ə.d͡ʒəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/

//ɪnˌtɛl.ə.d͡ʒəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“intelligibility” is uncommon English (frequency #67,532 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,532
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That which is intelligible; the degree to which something is intelligible.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intelligibility · intelligibility · English

intelligibility · rank #67,532 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,532
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-7 7 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH integrally

Nearest frequency peer: integrally (-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 “intelligibility”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for intelligibility
PropertyValue
Headwordintelligibility
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˌtɛl.ə.d͡ʒəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/
Letters15
Frequency rank#67,532
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “intelligibility” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).intelligibilityfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “integrally” (#67,531), “internalization” (#67,534), “ingratitude” (#67,529). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intelligibility” is #67,532. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

intelligibility is uncommon English at frequency #67,532 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪnˌtɛl.ə.d͡ʒəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for intelligibility in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From intelligible + -ity. The correct English form is intelligibility, spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-I-G-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    That which is intelligible; the degree to which something is intelligible.
  2. 2
    The quality of recorded speech of every word being understandable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Figure 8.1 shows the students' perceptions of the NSE and NNSE varieties in terms of intelligibility. […]

Etymology

From intelligible + -ity.

Synonyms

clearnessexplicitnessluciditycomprehensibilityperspicuitylegibilityplain speaking

This word in other languages

intelligibilité(Français)Verständlichkeit(Deutsch)

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 "intelligibility"?
"intelligibility" is spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-I-G-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˌtɛl.ə.d͡ʒəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/.
What does "intelligibility" mean?
As a noun, "intelligibility" means: That which is intelligible; the degree to which something is intelligible.
How do you pronounce "intelligibility"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intelligibility" is /ɪnˌtɛl.ə.d͡ʒəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/. 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 "intelligibility"?
From intelligible + -ity. 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 "intelligibility", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

internalization#67,534complementarity#67,322synchronisation#67,874undistinguished#67,128

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list