maladroit
/ˌmæl.əˈdɹɔɪt/adjective, noun
maladroit is spelled M-A-L-A-D-R-O-I-T: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 133,440th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, maladroit means “Not adroit; awkward, clumsy, inept” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in maladroit?
| Letters | 9: M-A-L-A-D-R-O-I-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 133,440th 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 maladroit?
Maladroit appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 133,440th 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 maladroit?
- US /ˌmæl.əˈdɹɔɪt/
Maladroit has 3 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-maladroit.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with maladroit?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as maladroit from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɪt/):
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 maladroit
- more maladroit comparative
- most maladroit superlative
- maladroits plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does maladroit mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not adroit; awkward, clumsy, inept.
noun
- 1
Somebody who is inept, or lacking in skill, or talent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Maladroit in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not adroit; clumsy:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | maladroit |
| German | ungeschickt, unbeholfen |
| Spanish | desacertado, torpe |
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 maladroit come from?
Borrowed from French maladroit, from mal- (“bad, badly”) + adroit (“skilful”), equivalent to mal- + adroit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).