inform
/ɪnˈfɔɹm/verb, adjective
inform is spelled I-N-F-O-R-M: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,595th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, inform means “To communicate knowledge to” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in inform?
| Letters | 6: I-N-F-O-R-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 14 times per million words; the 5,595th 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 inform?
Inform appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,595th 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 inform?
- US /ɪnˈfɔɹm/
- UK /ɪnˈfɔːm/
Inform 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-inform.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with inform
Also written: in form (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with inform?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as inform from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹm/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: formin.
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 inform
- informs present, singular, he/she/it
- informing participle, present
- informed participle, past
- enform
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inform mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
archaicTo instruct, train (usually in matters of knowledge).
- 2
To communicate knowledge to.
- 3
To impart information or knowledge.
- 4
To act as an informer; denounce.
- 5
To give form or character to; to inspire (with a given quality); to affect, influence (with a pervading principle, idea etc.).
His sense of religion informs everything he writes.
- 6
obsoleteTo make known, wisely and/or knowledgeably.
- 7
To direct, guide.
Don’t forget the code of ethics that informs this profession.
- 8
archaicTo take form; to become visible or manifest; to appear.
adjective
- 1
Without regular form; shapeless; ugly; deformed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inform in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | informer, renseigner , instruire , dénoncer |
| German | informieren, mitteilen, benachrichtigen, Bescheid sagen , denunzieren |
| Portuguese | informar |
| Spanish | informar, enterar, dar razón , delatar |
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 inform come from?
From Middle English informen, enformen, borrowed from Old French enformer, informer (“to train, instruct, inform”), from Latin īnfōrmō (“to shape, form, train, instruct, educate”), from in- (“into”) + fōrma (“form, shape”), equivalent to in- + form.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).