Which to use
“inmate” and “intake” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,143
- “inmate” frequency rank
- #7,352
- “intake” frequency rank
- 21495
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | inmate | intake |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A person confined to an institution such as a prison (as a convict) or hospital (as a patient). | The place where water, air or other fluid is taken into a pipe or conduit; opposed to outlet. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set inmate and intake apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. inmate (/ˈɪn.meɪt/) and intake (/ˈɪnteɪk/) 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 21495, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
inmate is recorded at frequency rank #14,143, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪn.meɪt/. intake is at rank #7,352, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪnteɪk/.
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 21495, this pair ranks #423,508 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of inmate vs intake
Shared letters: aeint. Private to "inmate": m. Private to "intake": k.
"inmate" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "intake" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "inmate" and "intake" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "inmate" or "intake"?
Remembering inmate vs intake
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 “inmate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable