infer
/ɪnˈfɝ/verb
infer is spelled I-N-F-E-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, infer means “To introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in infer?
| Letters | 5: I-N-F-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 23,536th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is infer?
Infer appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce infer?
- UK /ɪnˈfɜː/
- US /ɪnˈfɝ/
- /ɪnˈfɛr/
Infer has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-infer.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with infer?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as infer from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: finer.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of infer
- infers present, singular, he/she/it
- inferring participle, present
- inferred participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does infer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence.
- 2
proscribedTo lead to (something) as a consequence; to imply.
a. 1535, Thomas More, letter to Fryth the fyrste parte is not the proofe of the second. but rather contrarywyse the seconde inferreth well yͤ fyrst.
- 3
obsoleteTo cause, inflict (something) upon or to someone.
- 4
obsoleteTo introduce (a subject) in speaking, writing etc.; to bring in, to adduce.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Infer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déduire, inférer |
| German | schlussfolgern, folgern, schließen, Schlüsse ziehen , zur Folge haben |
| Portuguese | inferir |
| Spanish | inferir |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does infer come from?
From Latin inferō, from Latin in- (“in, at, on; into”) + Latin ferō (“bear, carry; suffer”) (cognate to Old English beran, whence English bear), from Proto-Italic *ferō, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti (“to bear, carry”), from the root *bʰer-. Literally “carry forward”, equivalent to “bear in”, as in concluding from a premise. Doublet of inbear.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).