informal

/ɪnˈfɔɹm(ə)l/

//ɪnˈfɔɹm(ə)l// adj

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

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

The verdict

“informal” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,682. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,682
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not formal or ceremonious.

Corpus desk

Index EN-informal · informal · English

informal · rank #8,682 · 12 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,682
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inclined

Nearest frequency peer: inclined (-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 “informal”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “informal” 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).

informal vs informed
75% similar
informal vs informer
75% similar
informal vs informant
78% similar

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

Key facts for informal
PropertyValue
Headwordinformal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈfɔɹm(ə)l/
Letters8
Frequency rank#8,682
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “informal”

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).informallands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “inclined” (#8,681), “Jew” (#8,683), “learnt” (#8,684). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “informal” is #8,682. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around informal (IPA /ɪnˈfɔɹm(ə)l/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,682 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 informal, with forms such as "ifnormal", "infformal", and "infomral". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "informed", "informer", "informant", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From in- + formal. The correct English form is informal, spelled I-N-F-O-R-M-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not formal or ceremonious.
  2. 2
    Not in accord with the usual regulations.
  3. 3
    Suited for everyday use.
  4. 4
    Reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage.
  5. 5
    Not organized; not structured or planned.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. an informal get-together
  2. One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.” He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis […] interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily…

Etymology

From in- + formal.

Synonyms

not formalceremoniousnot in accord with the usual regulationssuited for everyday usecolloquial

Antonyms

formal

This word in other languages

informal(Español)informel(Français)informell(Deutsch)informal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnormal
  • infformal
  • infomral
  • inforaml
  • informall
  • informla
  • informmal
  • inforrmal
  • infromal
  • innformal
  • inofrmal
  • niformal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnormal2infformal1infomral2inforaml2informall1informla2informmal1inforrmal1
Edit distance from "informal"

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 "informal"?
"informal" is spelled I-N-F-O-R-M-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈfɔɹm(ə)l/.
What does "informal" mean?
As an adjective, "informal" means: Not formal or ceremonious.
What words are commonly confused with "informal"?
"informal" is commonly confused with "informed", "informer", "informant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "informal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "informal" is /ɪnˈfɔɹm(ə)l/. 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 "informal"?
From in- + formal. 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 "informal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

inclined#8,681maturity#8,689Morrison#8,695forehead#8,667

Similar misspelling depth

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

dynasty12 variantsdissolved12 variantsprocessor12 variantsbillboard12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list