infamous

/ˈɪnfəməs/

//ˈɪnfəməs// adj

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

"infamous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“infamous” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,382. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,382
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a bad reputation; disreputable; notorious; unpleasant or evil; widely known, especially for something scornful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-infamous · infamous · English

infamous · rank #10,382 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,382
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inspirational

Nearest frequency peer: inspirational (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “infamous”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “infamous” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for infamous
PropertyValue
Headwordinfamous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɪnfəməs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,382
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “infamous”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).infamouslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “inspirational” (#10,383), “internally” (#10,384), “ideally” (#10,379). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “infamous” is #10,382. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around infamous (IPA /ˈɪnfəməs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,382 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for infamous, with forms such as "ifnamous", "inafmous", and "infammous". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English enfamouse, in-fames, infamous, from Medieval Latin īnfāmōsus, from Latin īnfāmis; by surface analysis, in- + famous. Displaced native Old English unhlīsful. The correct English form is infamous, spelled I-N-F-A-M-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a bad reputation; disreputable; notorious; unpleasant or evil; widely known, especially for something scornful.
  2. 2
    Causing infamy; disgraceful.
  3. 3
    Subject to a judicial punishment depriving (the person) of certain rights (e.g. the rights to hold public office, exercise the franchise, receive a public pension, serve on a jury, or give testimony in a court of law).
  4. 4
    Punishable by death or imprisonment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He was an infamous traitor.
  2. She is infamous for perjury.

Etymology

From Middle English enfamouse, in-fames, infamous, from Medieval Latin īnfāmōsus, from Latin īnfāmis; by surface analysis, in- + famous. Displaced native Old English unhlīsful.

This word in other languages

infame(Español)infâme(Français)anrüchig(Deutsch)infame(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnamous
  • inafmous
  • infammous
  • infamosu
  • infamouss
  • infamuos
  • infaomus
  • inffamous
  • infmaous
  • innfamous
  • nifamous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of infamous - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ifnamous2inafmous2infammous1infamosu2infamouss1infamuos2infaomus2inffamous1
Edit distance from "infamous"

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 "infamous"?
"infamous" is spelled I-N-F-A-M-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪnfəməs/.
What does "infamous" mean?
As an adjective, "infamous" means: Having a bad reputation; disreputable; notorious; unpleasant or evil; widely known, especially for something scornful.
What are common misspellings of "infamous"?
Common misspellings include "ifnamous", "inafmous", "infammous", "infamosu", "infamouss". The correct spelling is "infamous".
How do you pronounce "infamous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infamous" is /ˈɪnfəməs/. 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 "infamous"?
From Middle English enfamouse, in-fames, infamous, from Medieval Latin īnfāmōsus, from Latin īnfāmis; by surface analysis, in- + famous. Displaced native Old English unhlīsful. 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 "infamous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lifelong#10,391marrying#10,396forensic#10,367flagship#10,366

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Kashmir11 variantsglowing11 variantsmarched11 variantsmigrant11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list