indeed
/ɪnˈdiːd/
"indeed" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“indeed” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,697 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #1,697
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 10
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Truly; in fact; actually.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | indeed |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ɪnˈdiːd/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #1,697 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 10 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “indeed” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for indeed is 6 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈdiːd/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,697 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for indeed, with forms such as "idneed", "inddeed", and "inded". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "index", "indie", "inked", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English indede, univerbation of the phrase in dede (“in sooth, in fact”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian innerdoat, innedoat (“indeed”), West Frisian yndied (“indeed”), Dutch inderdaad (“indeed”), German in der Tat (“indeed”). By surface analysi… The correct English form is indeed, spelled I-N-D-E-E-D.
Definition
- 1Truly; in fact; actually.
- 2In fact.
Etymology
From Middle English indede, univerbation of the phrase in dede (“in sooth, in fact”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian innerdoat, innedoat (“indeed”), West Frisian yndied (“indeed”), Dutch inderdaad (“indeed”), German in der Tat (“indeed”). By surface analysis, in + deed. Compare in fact, in truth, etc. First attested in the early 14ᵗʰ century.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: idneed,inddeed,inded,indede,indeedd,ineded,inndeed,nideed
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of indeed - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “indeed”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-D-E-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈdiːd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “index” - see the side-by-side comparison. indeed vs index
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.