indulge
/ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒ/
"indulge" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“indulge” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,142 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #14,142
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To yield to a temptation or desire.
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 | indulge |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #14,142 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “indulge” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for indulge is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,142 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for indulge, with forms such as "idnulge", "inddulge", and "indluge". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "indulged", "indulgent", "induce", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin indulgeō (“to indulge”). The correct English form is indulge, spelled I-N-D-U-L-G-E.
Definition
- 1To yield to a temptation or desire.
- 2To satisfy the wishes or whims of.
- 3To give way to (a habit or temptation); to not oppose or restrain.
- 4To grant an extension to the deadline of a payment.
- 5To grant as by favour; to bestow in concession, or in compliance with a wish or request.
Etymology
From Latin indulgeō (“to indulge”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: idnulge,inddulge,indluge,indugle,induleg,indulgge,indullge,inndulge,inudlge,nidulge
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of indulge - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "indulge"?
What does "indulge" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "indulge"?
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Using “indulge”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-D-U-L-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “indulged” - see the side-by-side comparison. indulge vs indulged
- 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.