informant

/ɪnˈfɔːmənt/

//ɪnˈfɔːmənt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“informant” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,858 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#18,858
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One who relays confidential information to someone, especially to the police; an informer.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

informant vs informing
78% similar
informant vs informal
78% similar

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

Key facts for informant
PropertyValue
Headwordinformant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈfɔːmənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#18,858
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “informant” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for informant is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈfɔːmənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,858 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for informant, with forms such as "ifnormant", "infformant", and "infomrant". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "informing", "informal", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From inform + -ant. The correct English form is informant, spelled I-N-F-O-R-M-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who relays confidential information to someone, especially to the police; an informer.
  2. 2
    A native speaker who acts as a linguistic reference for a language being studied. The informant demonstrates native pronunciation, provides grammaticality judgments regarding linguistic well-formedness, and may also explain cultural references and other important contextual information.

Etymology

From inform + -ant.

Synonyms

consultantabaddonaccuserbeeferbewrayerbigmouthblabberblabtaleblabtonguecanaryCIfingerfinkfizgiggossipgrassinformantinformerjuratleakmolenarcnarknonceouterpeacherquislingratratfinkroostersneaksnitchsnoutsquealerstate's evidencestoogestool pigeonstooliesupergrasssycophanttattlertattletaletelltale tittelltaletoutwhistleblower

This word in other languages

informante(Español)informateur(Français)Informant(Deutsch)delator(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ifnormant,infformant,infomrant,inforamnt,informannt,informantt,informatn,informmant,informnat,inforrmant,infromant,innformant,inofrmant,niformant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnormant2infformant1infomrant2inforamnt2informannt1informantt1informatn2informmant1
Edit distance from "informant"

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 "informant"?
"informant" is spelled I-N-F-O-R-M-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈfɔːmənt/.
What does "informant" mean?
As a noun, "informant" means: One who relays confidential information to someone, especially to the police; an informer.
What words are commonly confused with "informant"?
"informant" is commonly confused with "informing", "informal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "informant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "informant" is /ɪnˈfɔːmənt/. 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 "informant"?
From inform + -ant. 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.

Using “informant”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-F-O-R-M-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnˈfɔːmənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “informing” - see the side-by-side comparison. informant vs informing
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list