literati

/ˌlɪt.əˈɹɑː.tiː/

//ˌlɪt.əˈɹɑː.tiː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“literati” is uncommon English (frequency #65,270 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,270
frequency rank, English
16,425
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Well-educated, literary people; intellectuals who are interested in literature.

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)

Where “literati” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

literati is uncommon English at frequency #65,270 among 16,425 “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.

Etymology

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

Antonyms

illiterati

This word in other languages

literatos(Español)littérateur(Français)Bildungsbürger(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 "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.

Using “literati”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is L-I-T-E-R-A-T-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌlɪt.əˈɹɑː.tiː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list