Which to use
“int'l” is an adjective and “intel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,518
- “int'l” frequency rank
- #6,370
- “intel” frequency rank
- 43888
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | int'l | intel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Abbreviation of international. | Intelligence (secret information). |
Letter map: int'l vs intel
Shared letters muted; letters that set int'l and intel apart highlighted. Shared run: 4.
Grammar separator: int'l vs intel
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: int'l is anadjective and intelanoun. On the page they differ by a single letter - ' in “int'l” becomes e in “intel”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43888, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
int'l is recorded at frequency rank #37,518, classified as anadj. 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 43888, this pair ranks #235,727 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of int'l vs intel
Shared letters: ilnt. Private to "int'l": -. Private to "intel": e.
"int'l" · 4 letters · shape VCCC · "intel" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- intel ← inetl · inntel · intell · intle · inttel · itnel · nitel
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "int'l" and "intel" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "int'l" or "intel" show up more?
What to do next
You've compared "int'l" and "intel". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "int'l" 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 #235,727 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "int'l" and "intel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "int'l 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 #235,727 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.