Which to use
“index” and “intel” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,628
- “index” frequency rank
- #6,370
- “intel” frequency rank
- 8998
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | index | intel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An alphabetical listing of items and their location. | Intelligence (secret information). |
Where the eye mixes index and intel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between index and intel
A purely visual mix-up. index (/ˈɪndɛks/) and intel (/ˈɪn.tɛl/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8998, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
index is recorded at frequency rank #2,628, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪndɛks/. intel is at rank #6,370, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪn.tɛl/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 8998, this pair ranks #499,603 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of index vs intel
Shared letters: ein. Private to "index": dx. Private to "intel": lt.
"index" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "intel" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "index" and "intel" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "index" or "intel"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "index" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "intel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #499,603 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "index" and "intel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "intel vs INTHE". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #499,603 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.