Which to use
“intention” and “intuition” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,095
- “intention” frequency rank
- #14,146
- “intuition” frequency rank
- 18241
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | intention | intuition |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A course of action that a person intends to follow. | Immediate cognition without the use of conscious rational processes. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set intention and intuition apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. intention (/ɪnˈtɛnʃn̩/) and intuition (/ˌɪn.tjuːˈɪʃ.ən/) 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 18241, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
intention is recorded at frequency rank #4,095, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɪnˈtɛnʃn̩/. intuition is at rank #14,146, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˌɪn.tjuːˈɪʃ.ən/.
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 18241, this pair ranks #446,180 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of intention vs intuition
Shared letters: inot. Private to "intention": e. Private to "intuition": u.
"intention" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVVC · "intuition" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "intention" and "intuition" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "intention" or "intuition"?
Remembering intention vs intuition
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 “intention” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable