infect

/ɪnˈfɛkt/

//ɪnˈfɛkt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“infect” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,109. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,109
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To bring (the body or part of it) into contact with a substance that causes illness (a pathogen), so that the pathogen begins to act on the body; (of a pathogen) to come into contact with (a body o...

Corpus desk

Index EN-infect · infect · English

infect · rank #18,109 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,109
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH incest

Nearest frequency peer: incest (-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 “infect”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “infect” 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).

infect vs inlet
67% similar
infect vs infer
67% similar
infect vs inset
67% similar

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

Key facts for infect
PropertyValue
Headwordinfect
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈfɛkt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#18,109
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “infect”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “incest” (#18,108), “insertion” (#18,110), “incarceration” (#18,107). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “infect” is #18,109. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around infect (IPA /ɪnˈfɛkt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #18,109 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for infect, with forms such as "ifnect", "inefct", and "infcet". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "inlet", "infer", "inset", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French infect, from Latin infectus, perfect passive participle of inficiō (“dye, taint”). The correct English form is infect, spelled I-N-F-E-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To bring (the body or part of it) into contact with a substance that causes illness (a pathogen), so that the pathogen begins to act on the body; (of a pathogen) to come into contact with (a body or body part) and begin to act on it.
  2. 2
    To contaminate (an object or substance) with a pathogen.
  3. 3
    To make somebody enthusiastic about one's own passion, or to communicate a feeling to others, or a feeling communicating itself to others.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Not everyone will be infected when an epidemic strikes.
  2. Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola.

Etymology

From Middle French infect, from Latin infectus, perfect passive participle of inficiō (“dye, taint”).

Synonyms

leper

Antonyms

disinfect

This word in other languages

infectar(Español)infecter(Français)anstecken(Deutsch)contagiar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnect
  • inefct
  • infcet
  • infecct
  • infectt
  • infetc
  • inffect
  • innfect
  • nifect

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnect2inefct2infcet2infecct1infectt1infetc2inffect1innfect1
Edit distance from "infect"

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 "infect"?
"infect" is spelled I-N-F-E-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈfɛkt/.
What does "infect" mean?
As a verb, "infect" means: To bring (the body or part of it) into contact with a substance that causes illness (a pathogen), so that the pathogen begins to act on the body; (of a pathogen) to come into contact with (a body o...
What words are commonly confused with "infect"?
"infect" is commonly confused with "inlet", "infer", "inset". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "infect"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infect" is /ɪnˈfɛkt/. 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 "infect"?
From Middle French infect, from Latin infectus, perfect passive participle of inficiō (“dye, taint”). 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 "infect", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

incest#18,108Horton#18,102hippie#18,100herbal#18,098

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

idiotic9 variantsJoaquin9 variantsLowers9 variantsgiggles9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list