Which to use
“intrude” is a verb and “intruder” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,621
- “intrude” frequency rank
- #17,868
- “intruder” frequency rank
- 54489
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | intrude | intruder |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To thrust oneself in; to come or enter without invitation, permission, or welcome; to encroach; to trespass. | Someone who intrudes. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set intrude and intruder apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: intrude is /ɪnˈtɹuːd/ while intruder is /ənˈtɹudɚ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “intrude” sits inside “intruder”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54489, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
intrude is recorded at frequency rank #36,621, classified as averb, pronounced /ɪnˈtɹuːd/. intruder is at rank #17,868, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ənˈtɹudɚ/.
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 54489, this pair ranks #140,731 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of intrude vs intruder
Shared letters: deinrtu. Private to "intrude": -. Private to "intruder": -.
"intrude" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV · "intruder" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC