litotes
/laɪˈtəʊ.tiːz/
"litotes" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“litotes” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A figure of speech whereby something is stated by denying its opposite.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | litotes |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /laɪˈtəʊ.tiːz/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “litotes” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
litotes is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /laɪˈtəʊ.tiːz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for litotes, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Late Latin lītotēs, from Ancient Greek λιτότης (litótēs, literally “plainness”), from λιτός (litós, “simple”). The correct English form is litotes, spelled L-I-T-O-T-E-S.
Definition
- 1A figure of speech whereby something is stated by denying its opposite.
- 2A figure of speech whereby something is stated by denying its opposite.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Late Latin lītotēs, from Ancient Greek λιτότης (litótēs, literally “plainness”), from λιτός (litós, “simple”).
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "litotes"?
What does "litotes" mean?
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Using “litotes”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-I-T-O-T-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /laɪˈtəʊ.tiːz/ (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
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.