literati

/ˌlɪt.əˈɹɑː.tiː/

//ˌlɪt.əˈɹɑː.tiː// noun

"literati" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“literati” is uncommon English (frequency #65,270 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,270
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Well-educated, literary people; intellectuals who are interested in literature.

Corpus desk

Index EN-literati · literati · English

literati · rank #65,270 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,270
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lintel

Nearest frequency peer: lintel (-2 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 “literati”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for literati
PropertyValue
Headwordliterati
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌlɪt.əˈɹɑː.tiː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#65,270
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “literati” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).literatifalls 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: “lintel” (#65,268), “loaner” (#65,272), “Linehan” (#65,267). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “literati” is #65,270. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

literati is uncommon English at frequency #65,270 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌlɪt.əˈɹɑː.tiː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Well-educated, literary people; intellectuals who are interested in literature.".

literati has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin līterātī, plural of līterātus (“lettered, literate”). The correct English form is literati, spelled L-I-T-E-R-A-T-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Well-educated, literary people; intellectuals who are interested in literature.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. First, to Counsellor Fitzclabber, who, he told me, was then employed in compiling a history of the kings of Minster, from Irish manuscripts; and then to his friend Mr. Gahagan, who was a profound philosopher and politician, and had projected many excellent schemes for the good of his country. But it seems these literati had been very ill rewarded for thei…
  2. He is not of the people, this lordly magistrate. He is one of the privileged literati. His literary degrees are high and numerous.

Etymology

From Latin līterātī, plural of līterātus (“lettered, literate”).

Antonyms

This word in other languages

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 "literati"?
"literati" is spelled L-I-T-E-R-A-T-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌlɪt.əˈɹɑː.tiː/.
What does "literati" mean?
As a noun, "literati" means: Well-educated, literary people; intellectuals who are interested in literature.
How do you pronounce "literati"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "literati" is /ˌlɪt.əˈɹɑː.tiː/. 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 "literati"?
From Latin līterātī, plural of līterātus (“lettered, literate”). 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 "literati", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list