Which to use
“infernal” and “informal” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,956
- “infernal” frequency rank
- #8,682
- “informal” frequency rank
- 37638
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | infernal | informal |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Of or relating to hell, or the world of the dead; hellish. | Not formal or ceremonious. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set infernal and informal apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. infernal (/ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl/) and informal (/ɪnˈfɔɹm(ə)l/) 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 37638, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
infernal is recorded at frequency rank #28,956, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl/. informal is at rank #8,682, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɪnˈfɔɹm(ə)l/.
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 37638, this pair ranks #292,879 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of infernal vs informal
Shared letters: afilnr. Private to "infernal": e. Private to "informal": mo.
"infernal" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "informal" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "infernal" and "informal" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "infernal" or "informal"?
Remembering infernal vs informal
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “infernal” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable