int vs int'l, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“int” is a verb and “int'l” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,770
“int” frequency rank: #37,518
“int'l” frequency rank: 47288
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	int	int'l
Definition	To die intentionally in a match by having oneself slain by enemy characters or structures so as to give resources to the opposing team	Abbreviation of international.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set int and int'l apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

int

5 ch

int'l

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: int is averb and int'lanadjective. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “int” sits inside “int'l”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47288, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

int is recorded at frequency rank #9,770, classified as averb. int'l is at rank #37,518, tagged as anadj.

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 47288, this pair ranks #203,823 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of int vs int'l

Shared letters: int. Private to "int": -. Private to "int'l": l.

"int" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "int'l" · 4 letters · shape VCCC

Frequency comparison

int#9,770

int'l#37,518

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "int" and "int'l" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "int" is a verb and "int'l" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "int" or "int'l"?

"int" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,770 in our English list, against #37,518 for "int'l". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering int vs int'l

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “int”; for an adjective, it's “int'l”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “int” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable