infantry

/ˈɪnfəntɹi/

//ˈɪnfəntɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“infantry” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,569. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,569
frequency rank, English
17,902
“I” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Soldiers who fight on foot (on land), as opposed to cavalry and other mounted units, regardless of external transport (e.g. airborne).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

infantry vs infants
75% similar
infantry vs infant
75% similar
infantry vs infancy
75% similar

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

Key facts for infantry
PropertyValue
Headwordinfantry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪnfəntɹi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,569
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “infantry” 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). infantry lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around infantry (IPA /ˈɪnfəntɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,569 among 17,902 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for infantry, with forms such as "ifnantry", "inafntry", and "infanntry". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "infants", "infant", "infancy", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French infanterie, from older Italian, possibly from Spanish infantería (“foot soldiers, force composed of those too inexperienced or low in rank for cavalry”), from infante (“foot soldier”), originally "a youth", either way from Latin īnfāns (“… The correct English form is infantry, spelled I-N-F-A-N-T-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Soldiers who fight on foot (on land), as opposed to cavalry and other mounted units, regardless of external transport (e.g. airborne).
  2. 2
    The part of an army consisting of infantry soldiers, especially opposed to mounted and technical troops.
  3. 3
    A regiment of infantry.
  4. 4
    Infants; children.

Etymology

From Middle French infanterie, from older Italian, possibly from Spanish infantería (“foot soldiers, force composed of those too inexperienced or low in rank for cavalry”), from infante (“foot soldier”), originally "a youth", either way from Latin īnfāns (“child”); see there for more.

This word in other languages

infantería(Español)infanterie(Français)Infanterie(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ifnantry,inafntry,infanntry,infanrty,infantrry,infantryy,infanttry,infantyr,infatnry,inffantry,infnatry,innfantry,nifantry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnantry2inafntry2infanntry1infanrty2infantrry1infantryy1infanttry1infantyr2
Edit distance from "infantry"

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 "infantry"?
"infantry" is spelled I-N-F-A-N-T-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪnfəntɹi/.
What does "infantry" mean?
As a noun, "infantry" means: Soldiers who fight on foot (on land), as opposed to cavalry and other mounted units, regardless of external transport (e.g. airborne).
What words are commonly confused with "infantry"?
"infantry" is commonly confused with "infants", "infant", "infancy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "infantry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infantry" is /ˈɪnfəntɹi/. 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 "infantry"?
From Middle French infanterie, from older Italian, possibly from Spanish infantería (“foot soldiers, force composed of those too inexperienced or low in rank for cavalry”), from infante (“foot soldier”), originally "a youth", either way from Latin... 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 “infantry”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-F-A-N-T-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪnfəntɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “infants” - see the side-by-side comparison. infantry vs infants
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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