individual

/ɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒʊəl/

//ɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒʊəl// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"individual" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“individual” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,082. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,082
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person considered alone, rather than as belonging to a group of people.

Corpus desk

Index EN-individual · individual · English

individual · rank #1,082 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,082
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH ice

Nearest frequency peer: ice (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “individual”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “individual” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

individual vs individuals
91% similar
individual vs individually
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for individual
PropertyValue
Headwordindividual
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒʊəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#1,082
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “individual” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).individuallands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ice” (#1,081), “interesting” (#1,083), “husband” (#1,080). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around individual (IPA /ɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒʊəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,082 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for individual, with forms such as "idnividual", "inddividual", and "indiivdual". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "individuals", "individually", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *dwóh₁ From Medieval Latin indīviduālis, from Latin indīviduum (“an indivisible thing”), neuter of indīviduus (“indivisible, undivided”), from in + dīviduus (“divisible”), from dīvidō (“divide”). The correct English form is individual, spelled I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person considered alone, rather than as belonging to a group of people.
  2. 2
    A single physical human being as a legal subject, as opposed to a legal person such as a corporation.
  3. 3
    An object, be it a thing or an agent, as contrasted to a class.
  4. 4
    An element belonging to a population.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how individual appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He is an unusual individual.
  2. “You have to be an individual,” said Ms. Smoke, a 40-year-old saleswoman, as she sipped her beverage. “You can’t just get black coffee.”

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Medieval Latin indīviduālis, from Latin indīviduum (“an indivisible thing”), neuter of indīviduus (“indivisible, undivided”), from in + dīviduus (“divisible”), from dīvidō (“divide”).

This word in other languages

individuo(Español)individu(Français)Individuum(Deutsch)indivíduo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • idnividual
  • inddividual
  • indiivdual
  • indivdiual
  • individaul
  • individdual
  • individuall
  • individula
  • indiviudal
  • indivvidual
  • indviidual
  • inidvidual
  • inndividual
  • nidividual

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of individual - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

idnividual2inddividual1indiivdual2indivdiual2individaul2individdual1individuall1individula2
Edit distance from "individual"

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

How do you spell "individual"?
"individual" is spelled I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒʊəl/.
What does "individual" mean?
As a noun, "individual" means: A person considered alone, rather than as belonging to a group of people.
What words are commonly confused with "individual"?
"individual" is commonly confused with "individuals", "individually". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "individual"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "individual" is /ɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒʊəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "individual"?
PIE word *dwóh₁ From Medieval Latin indīviduālis, from Latin indīviduum (“an indivisible thing”), neuter of indīviduus (“indivisible, undivided”), from in + dīviduus (“divisible”), from dīvidō (“divide”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "individual", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

particular#1,092completely#1,070California#1,067population#1,056

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

described14 variantscertainly14 variantstreatment14 variantsdifference14 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "individual". Here's where to go from here.

  • "individual" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "individuals". View pair
  • 14 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,082 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "I" letter cohort. I–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list