Which to use
“intentional” is an adjective and “intentions” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,874
- “intentional” frequency rank
- #5,976
- “intentions” frequency rank
- 16850
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | intentional | intentions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Intended or planned; done deliberately or voluntarily. | plural of intention |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set intentional and intentions apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: intentional is /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/ while intentions is /ɪnˈtɛnʃənz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16850, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
intentional is recorded at frequency rank #10,874, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/. intentions is at rank #5,976, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɪnˈtɛnʃənz/.
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 16850, this pair ranks #455,204 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of intentional vs intentions
Shared letters: einot. Private to "intentional": al. Private to "intentions": s.
"intentional" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVVCVC · "intentions" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- intentional ← inetntional · inntentional · intenitonal · intenntional · intentinoal · intentioanl · intentionall · intentionla
- intentions ← inetntions · inntentions · intenitons · intenntions · intentinos · intentionns · intentionss · intentiosn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "intentional" and "intentions" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "intentional" or "intentions"?
Remembering intentional vs intentions
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “intentional”; for a noun, it's “intentions”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “intentional” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable