infantile

/ˈɪnfəntaɪl/

//ˈɪnfəntaɪl// adj

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

"infantile" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“infantile” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,190. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,190
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pertaining to infants.

Corpus desk

Index EN-infantile · infantile · English

infantile · rank #36,190 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #36,190
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Indochina

Nearest frequency peer: Indochina (-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 “infantile”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “infantile” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

infantile vs infertile
78% similar

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

Key facts for infantile
PropertyValue
Headwordinfantile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɪnfəntaɪl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#36,190
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “infantile”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Indochina” (#36,189), “infuse” (#36,191), “indelible” (#36,188). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “infantile” is #36,190. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around infantile (IPA /ˈɪnfəntaɪl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #36,190 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for infantile, with forms such as "ifnantile", "inafntile", and "infanitle". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "infertile", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Mid-15th century, "pertaining to infants," from Latin infantilis (“pertaining to an infant”), equivalent to infant + -ile, from īnfāns. Sense of "infant-like" is from 1772. The correct English form is infantile, spelled I-N-F-A-N-T-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pertaining to infants.
  2. 2
    Childish; immature.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. infantile paralysis
  2. They and the old North London tanks at Richmond long ago were the first engines on which my infantile eyes rested, be it said with an admiration that the years have never dimmed.

Etymology

Mid-15th century, "pertaining to infants," from Latin infantilis (“pertaining to an infant”), equivalent to infant + -ile, from īnfāns. Sense of "infant-like" is from 1772.

This word in other languages

infantil(Español)infantile(Français)infantil(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnantile
  • inafntile
  • infanitle
  • infanntile
  • infantiel
  • infantille
  • infantlie
  • infanttile
  • infatnile
  • inffantile
  • infnatile
  • innfantile
  • nifantile

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnantile2inafntile2infanitle2infanntile1infantiel2infantille1infantlie2infanttile1
Edit distance from "infantile"

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 "infantile"?
"infantile" is spelled I-N-F-A-N-T-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪnfəntaɪl/.
What does "infantile" mean?
As an adjective, "infantile" means: Pertaining to infants.
What words are commonly confused with "infantile"?
"infantile" is commonly confused with "infertile". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "infantile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infantile" is /ˈɪnfəntaɪl/. 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 "infantile"?
Mid-15th century, "pertaining to infants," from Latin infantilis (“pertaining to an infant”), equivalent to infant + -ile, from īnfāns. Sense of "infant-like" is from 1772. 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 "infantile", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Indochina#36,189indelible#36,188Inglewood#36,192itinerant#36,201

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

irreverent13 variantsfumbling13 variantsforcible13 variantsMagdalena13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list