infrared

/ˌɪnfɹəˈɹɛd/

//ˌɪnfɹəˈɹɛd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“infrared” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,049. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,049
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation, having a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm.

Corpus desk

Index EN-infrared · infrared · English

infrared · rank #11,049 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,049
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH induction

Nearest frequency peer: induction (-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 “infrared”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “infrared” 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).

infrared vs inflated
75% similar
infrared vs inflamed
75% similar
infrared vs inferred
75% similar

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

Key facts for infrared
PropertyValue
Headwordinfrared
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪnfɹəˈɹɛd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,049
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “infrared”

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).infraredlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “induction” (#11,048), “insists” (#11,050), “indirectly” (#11,047). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “infrared” is #11,049. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around infrared (IPA /ˌɪnfɹəˈɹɛd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,049 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for infrared, with forms such as "ifnrared", "infarred", and "inffrared". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "inflated", "inflamed", "inferred", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From infra- + red. The correct English form is infrared, spelled I-N-F-R-A-R-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation, having a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm.
  2. 2
    A specific wavelength in this range.
  3. 3
    A device that emits infrared radiation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Collisions of these 'transparent' molecules with the molecules that do have absorption bands in the infrared can have a considerable influence on the intensities of the observed absorption bands.
  2. Sonne has shown that by means of the luminous rays the temperature in the tissue may be raised to a higher degree than by the use of the infrareds.

Etymology

From infra- + red.

This word in other languages

infrarouge(Français)Infrarot(Deutsch)infravermelho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnrared
  • infarred
  • inffrared
  • infraerd
  • infrarde
  • infraredd
  • infrarred
  • infrraed
  • infrrared
  • innfrared
  • inrfared
  • nifrared

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of infrared - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ifnrared2infarred2inffrared1infraerd2infrarde2infraredd1infrarred1infrraed2
Edit distance from "infrared"

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 "infrared"?
"infrared" is spelled I-N-F-R-A-R-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪnfɹəˈɹɛd/.
What does "infrared" mean?
As a noun, "infrared" means: The electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation, having a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm.
What words are commonly confused with "infrared"?
"infrared" is commonly confused with "inflated", "inflamed", "inferred". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "infrared"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infrared" is /ˌɪnfɹəˈɹɛd/. 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 "infrared"?
From infra- + red. 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 "infrared", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hopeless#11,042friction#11,033marginal#11,069downward#11,025

Similar misspelling depth

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

greatness12 variantsdoctor's12 variantsdetector12 variantspredator12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list