interest

[ˈɪntrəst]

/[ˈɪntrəst]/ verb

The verdict

“interest” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #31,626 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#31,626
frequency rank, German
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - etwas oder jemanden interessieren

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

interest vs Internet
63% similar
interest vs Internat
63% similar
interest vs internes
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for interest
PropertyValue
Headwordinterest
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈɪntrəst]
Letters8
Frequency rank#31,626
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “interest” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). interest lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for interest is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈɪntrəst]. Corpus data places it at rank #31,626 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "etwas oder jemanden interessieren".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for interest, with forms such as "inetrest", "innterest", and "inteerst". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Internet", "Internat", "internes", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is interest, spelled I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas oder jemanden interessieren

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: inetrest,innterest,inteerst,interesst,interestt,interets,interrest,interset,intreest,intterest,itnerest,niterest

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of interest - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

inetrest2innterest1inteerst2interesst1interestt1interets2interrest1interset2
Edit distance from "interest"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "interest"?
"interest" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɪntrəst].
What does "interest" mean?
As a verb, "interest" means: etwas oder jemanden interessieren
What words are commonly confused with "interest"?
"interest" is commonly confused with "Internet", "Internat", "internes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "interest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "interest" is [ˈɪntrəst]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "interest" come from?
"interest" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “interest”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈɪntrəst] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Internet” - see the side-by-side comparison. interest vs Internet
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list