inference

/ˈɪn.fə.ɹəns/

//ˈɪn.fə.ɹəns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“inference” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,963. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,963
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act or process of inferring by deduction or induction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-inference · inference · English

inference · rank #20,963 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,963
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH infiltrate

Nearest frequency peer: infiltrate (+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 “inference”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “inference” 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).

inference vs influence
78% similar

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

Key facts for inference
PropertyValue
Headwordinference
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪn.fə.ɹəns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#20,963
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inference”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).inferencelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “infiltrate” (#20,964), “inbound” (#20,961), “inflatable” (#20,965). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inference” is #20,963. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around inference (IPA /ˈɪn.fə.ɹəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,963 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for inference, with forms such as "ifnerence", "inefrence", and "infeernce". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "influence", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin inferentia. Morphologically infer + -ence. The correct English form is inference, spelled I-N-F-E-R-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or process of inferring by deduction or induction.
  2. 2
    That which is inferred; a truth or proposition drawn from another which is admitted or supposed to be true; a conclusion; a deduction.
  3. 3
    Output generated by a trained machine learning model as it applies learned patterns to new data.
  4. 4
    An instance or example of this, such as a prediction, classification, decision, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A key part of McCarthy’s argument, as made in other settings, such as a Larry King evening news show and on a now-infamous Oprah episode, focuses on the fact that children receive more vaccines now than ever before, which she believes corresponds with a rise in autism rates. However, as scientists and others who reject fallacious inferences point out, cor…

Etymology

From Latin inferentia. Morphologically infer + -ence.

This word in other languages

inferencia(Español)inférence(Français)Schlussfolgern(Deutsch)inferência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnerence
  • inefrence
  • infeernce
  • inferance
  • inferecne
  • inferencce
  • inferenec
  • inferennce
  • infernece
  • inferrence
  • infference
  • infreence
  • innference
  • niference

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnerence2inefrence2infeernce2inferance1inferecne2inferencce1inferenec2inferennce1
Edit distance from "inference"

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 "inference"?
"inference" is spelled I-N-F-E-R-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.fə.ɹəns/.
What does "inference" mean?
As a noun, "inference" means: The act or process of inferring by deduction or induction.
What words are commonly confused with "inference"?
"inference" is commonly confused with "influence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inference"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inference" is /ˈɪn.fə.ɹəns/. 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 "inference"?
From Latin inferentia. Morphologically infer + -ence. 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 "inference", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

immersive#20,959jellyfish#20,972Karnataka#20,976heartland#20,949

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

impeccable14 variantsHawthorne14 variantsKurdistan14 variantsGuantanamo14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list