Although they sound ever so slightly different when spoken, mixing up the words ‘illicit’ and ‘elicit’ is an easy mistake to make if you aren’t sure of the correct spelling of each. Although the two words appear very similar, their etymology is actually quite different. One is a verb and the other is an adjective, and they are used in very different contexts. To make sure you use the correct word in your paper, learn the difference between the two.
Elicit
‘To elicit’ is a verb meaning ‘to provoke a response’. It derives from the Latin verb ‘elicere’, which means to draw out by deception or trickery, although the word today has lost any negative connotations. One might try to elicit an answer, a smile or any other type of reaction from a person or group of people. It would be used in a sentence like this:
‘His joke elicited laughter from the audience’.
Illicit
The word ‘illicit’ is an adjective meaning forbidden, either by law or by contemporary customs. Its opposite, meaning lawful or not forbidden, is the word ‘licit’. The word is therefore made up of the prefix ‘il’ (not) and ‘licit’. It would be used in a sentence like this:
‘Al Capone was engaged in illicit activities’.
Although the word ‘illicit’ literally means ‘forbidden’ or ‘illegal’, it is quite often associated with the seedy, the sordid and the clandestine. It is commonly found in phrases such as, ‘illicit drugs’, ‘illicit sex’ or ‘illicit black-market goods’.
Remember that ‘elicit’ is spelled with one ‘l’ but illicit is spelled with two.
Elicit
‘To elicit’ is a verb meaning ‘to provoke a response’. It derives from the Latin verb ‘elicere’, which means to draw out by deception or trickery, although the word today has lost any negative connotations. One might try to elicit an answer, a smile or any other type of reaction from a person or group of people. It would be used in a sentence like this:
‘His joke elicited laughter from the audience’.
Illicit
The word ‘illicit’ is an adjective meaning forbidden, either by law or by contemporary customs. Its opposite, meaning lawful or not forbidden, is the word ‘licit’. The word is therefore made up of the prefix ‘il’ (not) and ‘licit’. It would be used in a sentence like this:
‘Al Capone was engaged in illicit activities’.
Although the word ‘illicit’ literally means ‘forbidden’ or ‘illegal’, it is quite often associated with the seedy, the sordid and the clandestine. It is commonly found in phrases such as, ‘illicit drugs’, ‘illicit sex’ or ‘illicit black-market goods’.
Remember that ‘elicit’ is spelled with one ‘l’ but illicit is spelled with two.