Pronunciation: [ɪlˈuːd] (IPA) 
The word "elude" is spelled with the letters "e-l-u-d-e". Its phonetic transcription in IPA is /ɪˈluːd/ which indicates that the stress is on the second syllable. The "e" in the first syllable is pronounced as "ih", the "u" in the second syllable is pronounced as "oo", and the "d" at the end is pronounced as a voiced consonant. The word means to avoid or escape someone or something in a skillful or cunning way.
Elude is a verb that generally refers to the act of avoiding or escaping from someone or something, often by cleverness, skill, or cunning. It implies a deliberate or intentional attempt to evade or stay away from someone or something that is pursuing or searching for one. Elude can also mean to be difficult or impossible to be understood, remembered, or defined clearly, often due to its complexity, abstractness, or elusive nature.
In a physical sense, elude can be used to describe the act of evading or eluding capture, as in a criminal eluding the police. It conveys the idea of managing to stay ahead of pursuers by employing cunning, agility, or stealth. Figuratively, elude is often employed to describe the act of evading or avoiding a difficult situation, problem, or responsibility. It suggests the use of skill, cleverness, or avoidance techniques to escape or mitigate the impact of a challenging circumstance.
Moreover, elude can also connote the act of escaping mental grasp or comprehension. It can describe a concept, idea, or meaning that is difficult to grasp or understand fully, typically due to its intricate, ambiguous, or puzzling nature. Similarly, it can indicate the inability to recall or remember information or an event specifically, due to its slipperiness or lack of clarity. Overall, the term elude signifies the act of avoiding, evading, or escaping someone or something, whether physically, figuratively, or mentally.
To escape; to shun; to evade; to avoid by artifice; to escape being seen.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "elude" originated from the Latin word "eludere", which is a combination of the prefix "e-" meaning "out" and the verb "ludere" meaning "to play". Therefore, the literal meaning of "elude" can be understood as "to play out" or "to escape playing". Over time, it evolved in English to its current usage, meaning to avoid or evade capture, detection, or comprehension.
