irreligious

/ˌɪɹɪˈlɪd͡ʒəs/

//ˌɪɹɪˈlɪd͡ʒəs// adj

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

"irreligious" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“irreligious” is uncommon English (frequency #70,781 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,781
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having no relation to religion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-irreligious · irreligious · English

irreligious · rank #70,781 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,781
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Jabal

Nearest frequency peer: Jabal (+3 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 “irreligious”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for irreligious
PropertyValue
Headwordirreligious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɪɹɪˈlɪd͡ʒəs/
Letters11
Frequency rank#70,781
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “irreligious” 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).irreligiousfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Jabal” (#70,784), “instyle” (#70,777), “jackrabbit” (#70,785). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “irreligious” is #70,781. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

irreligious is uncommon English at frequency #70,781 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌɪɹɪˈlɪd͡ʒəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for irreligious, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin irreligiōsus. By surface analysis, ir- + religious. The correct English form is irreligious, spelled I-R-R-E-L-I-G-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having no relation to religion.
  2. 2
    Contrary to religious beliefs and practices.
  3. 3
    Contrary to religious beliefs and practices.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. [T]he virtuous reader may condemn her for showing too great regard to a base-born infant, to which all charity is condemned by law as irreligious […]

Etymology

From Latin irreligiōsus. By surface analysis, ir- + religious.

This word in other languages

irréligieux(Français)irreligiös(Deutsch)irreligioso(Português)

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 "irreligious"?
"irreligious" is spelled I-R-R-E-L-I-G-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪɹɪˈlɪd͡ʒəs/.
What does "irreligious" mean?
As an adjective, "irreligious" means: Having no relation to religion.
How do you pronounce "irreligious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "irreligious" is /ˌɪɹɪˈlɪd͡ʒəs/. 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 "irreligious"?
From Latin irreligiōsus. By surface analysis, ir- + religious. 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 "irreligious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gravedigger#70,715exculpatory#70,646monstrously#70,919editorially#70,628

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list