infidel

/ˈɪn.fə.dl̩/

//ˈɪn.fə.dl̩// adj

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

"infidel" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“infidel” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,438. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,438
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Rejecting a specific religion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-infidel · infidel · English

infidel · rank #38,438 · 9 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,438
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH indomitable

Nearest frequency peer: indomitable (-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 “infidel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “infidel” 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).

infidel vs inside
71% similar
infidel vs infill
71% similar
infidel vs insider
71% similar

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

Key facts for infidel
PropertyValue
Headwordinfidel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɪn.fə.dl̩/
Letters7
Frequency rank#38,438
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “infidel”

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).infidellands 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 “indomitable” (#38,437), “indecision” (#38,436), “inadmissible” (#38,435). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “infidel” is #38,438. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around infidel (IPA /ˈɪn.fə.dl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #38,438 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for infidel, with forms such as "ifnidel", "infdiel", and "inffidel". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "inside", "infill", "insider", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested 1460, from Middle French infidèle, from Latin īnfidēlis (“unfaithful”), from in- (“not”) + fidēlis (“faithful”). See fidelity. The correct English form is infidel, spelled I-N-F-I-D-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rejecting a specific religion.
  2. 2
    Of, characteristic of, or relating to unbelievers or unbelief.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. (...) how it is that to his name who yesterday departed for the other world, we prefix so significant and infidel a word, and yet do not thus entitle him, if he but embarks for the remotest Indies of this living earth;(...)
  2. But not only have the priests tried to make the very term Atheism odious, as if it would destroy all of good and beautiful in nature, but some of the reformers, not having the moral courage to avow their own sentiments, wishing to be popular, fearing lest their reforms would be considered Infidel, (as all reforms assuredly are), shield themselves from the…

Etymology

First attested 1460, from Middle French infidèle, from Latin īnfidēlis (“unfaithful”), from in- (“not”) + fidēlis (“faithful”). See fidelity.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnidel
  • infdiel
  • inffidel
  • infiddel
  • infidell
  • infidle
  • inifdel
  • innfidel
  • nifidel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnidel2infdiel2inffidel1infiddel1infidell1infidle2inifdel2innfidel1
Edit distance from "infidel"

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 "infidel"?
"infidel" is spelled I-N-F-I-D-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.fə.dl̩/.
What does "infidel" mean?
As an adjective, "infidel" means: Rejecting a specific religion.
What words are commonly confused with "infidel"?
"infidel" is commonly confused with "inside", "infill", "insider". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "infidel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infidel" is /ˈɪn.fə.dl̩/. 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 "infidel"?
First attested 1460, from Middle French infidèle, from Latin īnfidēlis (“unfaithful”), from in- (“not”) + fidēlis (“faithful”). See fidelity. 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 "infidel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Gnostic#38,417Kenosha#38,460Knesset#38,464krypton#38,466

Similar misspelling depth

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

Jayden9 variantsghouls9 variantsFurness9 variantslichen9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list