information

/ˌɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/

//ˌɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃn̩// noun

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

"information" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“information” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #357 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#357
frequency rank, English
11
letters
17
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something that provides a definitive characterization or description of the nature and attributes of a specified entity.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

information vs informative
82% similar
information vs informations
92% similar
information vs informational
85% similar

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

Key facts for information
PropertyValue
Headwordinformation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/
Letters11
Frequency rank#357
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “information” 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). information 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 information is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #357 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for information, with forms such as "ifnormation", "infformation", and "infomration". 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, "informative", "informations", "informational", 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 English enformacioun, informacioun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman informacioun, enformation, Old French information, from Latin īnfōrmātiō (“formation, conception; education”), from the participle stem of īnformāre (“to inform”). Equivalent to info… The correct English form is information, spelled I-N-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something that provides a definitive characterization or description of the nature and attributes of a specified entity.
  2. 2
    Things that are or can be known about a given topic; communicable knowledge of something.
  3. 3
    The act of informing or imparting knowledge; notification.
  4. 4
    A statement of criminal activity brought before a judge or magistrate; in the UK, used to inform a magistrate of an offence and request a warrant; in the US, an accusation brought before a judge without a grand jury indictment.
  5. 5
    The act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation.
  6. 6
    The systematic imparting of knowledge; education, training.
  7. 7
    The creation of form; the imparting of a given quality or characteristic; forming, animation.
  8. 8
    The meaning that a human assigns to data by means of the known conventions used in its representation.
  9. 9
    Divine inspiration.
  10. 10
    A service provided by telephone which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber.
  11. 11
    Any unambiguous abstract data, the smallest possible unit being the bit.
  12. 12
    The output resulting from the systematic collection, manipulation and organization of raw data into a structured, interpretable format.
  13. 13
    Any ordered sequence of symbols (or signals) (that could contain a message).

Etymology

From Middle English enformacioun, informacioun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman informacioun, enformation, Old French information, from Latin īnfōrmātiō (“formation, conception; education”), from the participle stem of īnformāre (“to inform”). Equivalent to inform + -ation.

This word in other languages

información(Español)renseignement(Français)Information(Deutsch)informação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ifnormation,infformation,infomration,inforamtion,informaiton,informasion,informatino,informationn,informatoin,informattion,informmation,informtaion,inforrmation,infromation,innformation,inofrmation,niformation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnormation2infformation1infomration2inforamtion2informaiton2informasion1informatino2informationn1
Edit distance from "information"

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 "information"?
"information" is spelled I-N-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/.
What does "information" mean?
As a noun, "information" means: Something that provides a definitive characterization or description of the nature and attributes of a specified entity.
What words are commonly confused with "information"?
"information" is commonly confused with "informative", "informations", "informational". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "information"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "information" is /ˌɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/. 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 "information"?
From Middle English enformacioun, informacioun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman informacioun, enformation, Old French information, from Latin īnfōrmātiō (“formation, conception; education”), from the participle stem of īnformāre (“to inform”). Equivale... 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 “information”

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-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “informative” - see the side-by-side comparison. information vs informative
  • 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