“Elicit” and “illicit” are close to being homophones; the two words sound almost exactly the same although they have different meanings. According to Merriam-Webster, the “E” is emphasized when pronouncing elicit (i-ˈli-sət). In addition to having distinct pronunciations, the two words also operate as different parts of speech. Elicit is a verb, and illicit is an adjective. Despite different spellings, meanings, pronunciations, and grammatical functions, “illicit” and “elicit” remain commonly confused words. In this article, we’ll give you a few tricks to help you remember which is which.
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Since “elicit” and “illicit” sound very similar, you may wonder whether they come from the same root word.
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word “elicit” originates from the Latin word elicitus, meaning “draw out, draw forth.” In the 1640’s, the word first appeared in the English language with the definition “to draw out, bring forth or to light.”
The word “illicit” also entered the English language by way of Latin; however, it comes from illicitus, which means “not allowed, unlawful, illegal.” The word became part of the Old French language in the 1300’s and made its way into English vocabulary around 1500.
Although both words come from Latin words containing –licitus, the roots are actually different. Elicit evolved from the root word lacere, “to entice, lure, deceive.” Illicit comes from licere, “to be allowed.” Licere derived from the Proto-Indo-European root leik-, “to offer, bargain, make a bid.”
Definitions
Merriam-Webster defines the word “illicit” as an adjective meaning, “not permitted, unlawful.”
Elicit is a verb that means “to call forth or draw out (something, such as information or a response)” or “to draw forth or bring out (something latent or potential).”
Synonyms
According to Thesaurus.com, synonyms for elicit include:
bring out
evoke
extort
extract
obtain
wrest
wring
Thesaurus.com lists the following as synonyms for illicit:
adulterous
bootleg
clandestine
contraband
furtive
illegal
illegitimate
immoral
Tricks and Tips
Remember that “illicit” has the same first three letters as “illegal”. Illegal and illicit are synonyms.
Emigrate, emit, exhale, and explosion all contain the prefix ex-, which means “out”. Elicit begins with the same prefix and means “to draw out”.
The word “adjective” contains the letter “I”. If you’re using the word as an adjective, choose the spelling that starts with the letter “I”.
The word “verb” only contains the vowel “E”. If you’re using the word as a verb, choose the spelling that starts with the letter “E”.
Only illicit can be turned into an adverb. There’s no such word as “elicitly,” but “illicitly” is a word.
Practice Test
The question elicited / illicited a strong response.
New York prosecutors relaxed sentencing guidelines for elicit / illicit drugs.
The situation continued to elicit / illicit confusion.
The lease stipulated that elicit / illicit activity was forbidden within the unit.
She was looking for a way to elicit / illicit joy from the patient.
She traded the funds elicitly / illicitly and hoped to avoid paying taxes on her winnings.
He hoped to elicit / illicit more views with the new social media account.
They were used to eliciting / illiciting comments.
The elicit / illicit wildlife trade continued in spite of new laws.
I’m an award-winning playwright with a penchant for wordplay. After earning a perfect score on the Writing SAT, I worked my way through Brown University by moonlighting as a Kaplan Test Prep tutor. I received a BA with honors in Literary Arts (Playwriting)—which gave me the opportunity to study under Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel. In my previous roles as new media producer with Rosetta Stone, director of marketing for global ventures with The Juilliard School, and vice president of digital strategy with Up & Coming Media, I helped develop the voice for international brands. From my home office in Maui, Hawaii, I currently work on freelance and ghostwriting projects.
Kari Lisa Johnson
January 7, 2021
Grammar Tips
