Basic Details
Word: Illegibly
Part of Speech: Adverb
Meaning: In a way that is too messy or unclear to be read.
Synonyms: unreadably, indecipherably
Antonyms: legibly, clearly, neatly
How to Spell Illegibly
Syllables: il - leg - i - bly
Tricky part: Legible already begins with l, and il- adds another, so the word starts ill-. The ending is -ibly, not -ably.
Watch out for: ilegibly, illegably, illegiblely
Memory tip: Picture a doctor's prescription so messy it makes you ill: ill + egibly. Keep the i before bly, because legible itself ends in -ible.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The address on the parcel was written so illegibly that it came back to us after a week.
Example 2: Akash scribbled his notes illegibly and then could not read them before the test.
Example 3: The old land record was signed illegibly, so nobody knows which clerk wrote it.
Fun Fact
Legible comes from the Latin legere, to read, which also gives us lecture and legend, a legend first being a story meant to be read aloud.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words takes the prefix il- to make a real word. Choose it:
il-
a) patient
b) regular
c) possible
d) legible
Show answer
d) legible. We say irregular, impossible and impatient, so only legible takes il-.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The doctor wrote the prescription so illegably that the chemist had to phone the clinic twice.
a) prescription
b) illegably
c) clinic
d) chemist
Show answer
b) illegably. Legible has -ible, and the adverb keeps that i: illegibly.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The postman could not read the address, which was scrawled gylibelil across the envelope.
a) invisibly
b) illegally
c) illegibly
d) legibly
Show answer
c) illegibly. The jumble has three l's, a g and a b; illegally has no b and legibly has only one l.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If a form is filled in illegibly, the person checking it will ____.
a) struggle to read what is written
b) find every answer very neat
c) finish reading it at once
d) praise the clear handwriting
Show answer
a) struggle to read what is written
2. The opposite of writing illegibly is writing ____.
a) legibly
b) illegally
c) quickly
d) loudly
Show answer
a) legibly
