infernal

/ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl/

//ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“infernal” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,956. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,956
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to hell, or the world of the dead; hellish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-infernal · infernal · English

infernal · rank #28,956 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,956
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH individualism

Nearest frequency peer: individualism (-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 “infernal”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “infernal” 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).

infernal vs inferno
75% similar
infernal vs internal
88% similar
infernal vs informal
75% similar

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

Key facts for infernal
PropertyValue
Headwordinfernal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#28,956
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “infernal”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “individualism” (#28,955), “infrequently” (#28,957), “indiscriminate” (#28,954). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “infernal” is #28,956. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around infernal (IPA /ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #28,956 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for infernal, with forms such as "ifnernal", "inefrnal", and "infenral". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "inferno", "internal", "informal", 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 infernal, from Medieval Latin infernalis, from Latin īnfernus, from īnferum (“netherworld, underworld, hell”), equivalent to inferno + -al. The correct English form is infernal, spelled I-N-F-E-R-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to hell, or the world of the dead; hellish.
  2. 2
    Of or relating to a fire or inferno.
  3. 3
    Stygian, gloomy.
  4. 4
    Diabolical or fiendish.
  5. 5
    Very annoying; damned.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He proffered a pact to Satan, calling upon the Fiend and working himself into a frenzy - but his infernal majesty failed to respond.
  2. Th' infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile Stird up with Envy and Revenge, deceiv'd The Mother of Mankind

Etymology

From Middle French infernal, from Medieval Latin infernalis, from Latin īnfernus, from īnferum (“netherworld, underworld, hell”), equivalent to inferno + -al.

Synonyms

AcheronticinfernalHadeanhellishhellyPlutonicPlutonianstygiansubtartareanTartarean

Antonyms

celestialheavenlikeheavenly

This word in other languages

infernal(Español)infernal(Français)höllisch(Deutsch)infernal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnernal
  • inefrnal
  • infenral
  • inferanl
  • infernall
  • infernla
  • infernnal
  • inferrnal
  • inffernal
  • infrenal
  • innfernal
  • nifernal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnernal2inefrnal2infenral2inferanl2infernall1infernla2infernnal1inferrnal1
Edit distance from "infernal"

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 "infernal"?
"infernal" is spelled I-N-F-E-R-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl/.
What does "infernal" mean?
As an adjective, "infernal" means: Of or relating to hell, or the world of the dead; hellish.
What words are commonly confused with "infernal"?
"infernal" is commonly confused with "inferno", "internal", "informal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "infernal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infernal" is /ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl/. 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 "infernal"?
From Middle French infernal, from Medieval Latin infernalis, from Latin īnfernus, from īnferum (“netherworld, underworld, hell”), equivalent to inferno + -al. 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 "infernal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

headband#28,945halfback#28,941molasses#29,000episodic#28,909

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

guillotine12 variantsFullerton12 variantsmotoring12 variantsmystique12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list