intelligible
/ɪnˈtɛləd͡ʒəbəl/adjective
intelligible is spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-I-G-I-B-L-E: 12 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, intelligible means “Capable of being understood; clear to the mind” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in intelligible?
| Letters | 12: I-N-T-E-L-L-I-G-I-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is intelligible?
Intelligible appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th 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 intelligible?
- US /ɪnˈtɛləd͡ʒəbəl/
Intelligible 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-intelligible.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-intelligible.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with intelligible?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as intelligible from its last stressed vowel (/ɛlədʒəbəl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of intelligible
- more intelligible comparative
- most intelligible superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does intelligible mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Capable of being understood; clear to the mind.
Italian and Spanish are partially mutually intelligible languages.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Intelligible in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense capable of being understood:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | intelligible |
| German | einleuchtend, verständlich |
| Portuguese | inteligível |
| Spanish | inteligible |
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 intelligible come from?
From Middle French intelligible, from Old French, from Latin intelligibilis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).