infant

/ˈɪn.fənt/

//ˈɪn.fənt// noun

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

"infant" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“infant” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,236 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,236
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A very young human being, from birth to somewhere between six months and two years of age after birth, needing almost constant care and attention.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

infant vs Inman
50% similar
infant vs Irfan
50% similar
infant vs insane
67% similar

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

Key facts for infant
PropertyValue
Headwordinfant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪn.fənt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,236
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “infant” 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). infant lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for infant is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪn.fənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,236 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for infant, with forms such as "ifnant", "inafnt", and "infannt". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "Inman", "Irfan", "insane", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English infaunt, borrowed from Latin īnfantem, accusative masculine singular of īnfāns, nominal use of the adjective meaning 'not able to speak', from īn- (“not”) + fāns, present participle of for (“to speak”). The verb is from Anglo-N… The correct English form is infant, spelled I-N-F-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A very young human being, from birth to somewhere between six months and two years of age after birth, needing almost constant care and attention.
  2. 2
    A minor.
  3. 3
    A student in an infant school or the first part of a primary school.
  4. 4
    A noble or aristocratic youth.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English infaunt, borrowed from Latin īnfantem, accusative masculine singular of īnfāns, nominal use of the adjective meaning 'not able to speak', from īn- (“not”) + fāns, present participle of for (“to speak”). The verb is from Anglo-Norman enfanter, from the same Latin source. Doublet of infante.

This word in other languages

nene(Español)nourrisson(Français)Säugling(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ifnant,inafnt,infannt,infantt,infatn,inffant,infnat,innfant,nifant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of infant - 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.

ifnant2inafnt2infannt1infantt1infatn2inffant1infnat2innfant1
Edit distance from "infant"

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 "infant"?
"infant" is spelled I-N-F-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.fənt/.
What does "infant" mean?
As a noun, "infant" means: A very young human being, from birth to somewhere between six months and two years of age after birth, needing almost constant care and attention.
What words are commonly confused with "infant"?
"infant" is commonly confused with "Inman", "Irfan", "insane". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "infant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infant" is /ˈɪn.fənt/. 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 "infant"?
Inherited from Middle English infaunt, borrowed from Latin īnfantem, accusative masculine singular of īnfāns, nominal use of the adjective meaning 'not able to speak', from īn- (“not”) + fāns, present participle of for (“to speak”). The verb is fr... 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.

Using “infant”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-F-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪn.fənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Inman” - see the side-by-side comparison. infant vs Inman
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list