inhibit

/ɪnˈhɪbɪt/

//ɪnˈhɪbɪt// verb

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

"inhibit" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inhibit” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,591. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,591
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To hold in or hold back; to keep in check; restrain.

Corpus desk

Index EN-inhibit · inhibit · English

inhibit · rank #18,591 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,591
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ingram

Nearest frequency peer: Ingram (-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 “inhibit”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “inhibit” 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).

inhibit vs inhibitor
78% similar
inhibit vs inherit
71% similar
inhibit vs inhabit
86% similar

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

Key facts for inhibit
PropertyValue
Headwordinhibit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈhɪbɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#18,591
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inhibit”

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).inhibitlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Ingram” (#18,590), “insanely” (#18,592), “inflict” (#18,589). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inhibit” is #18,591. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around inhibit (IPA /ɪnˈhɪbɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #18,591 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for inhibit, with forms such as "ihnibit", "inhbiit", and "inhhibit". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "inhibitor", "inherit", "inhabit", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin inhibitus, perfect passive participle of inhibeō (“I hold in, check, restrain”), from in (“in, at, on”), + habeō (“I have, hold, keep”). The correct English form is inhibit, spelled I-N-H-I-B-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To hold in or hold back; to keep in check; restrain.
  2. 2
    To recuse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. inhibit someone's freedom
  2. inhibit someone's education

Etymology

From Latin inhibitus, perfect passive participle of inhibeō (“I hold in, check, restrain”), from in (“in, at, on”), + habeō (“I have, hold, keep”).

This word in other languages

inhibir(Español)inhiber(Français)hemmen(Deutsch)inibir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ihnibit
  • inhbiit
  • inhhibit
  • inhibbit
  • inhibitt
  • inhibti
  • inhiibt
  • inihbit
  • innhibit
  • nihibit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ihnibit2inhbiit2inhhibit1inhibbit1inhibitt1inhibti2inhiibt2inihbit2
Edit distance from "inhibit"

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 "inhibit"?
"inhibit" is spelled I-N-H-I-B-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈhɪbɪt/.
What does "inhibit" mean?
As a verb, "inhibit" means: To hold in or hold back; to keep in check; restrain.
What words are commonly confused with "inhibit"?
"inhibit" is commonly confused with "inhibitor", "inherit", "inhabit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inhibit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inhibit" is /ɪnˈhɪbɪt/. 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 "inhibit"?
From Latin inhibitus, perfect passive participle of inhibeō (“I hold in, check, restrain”), from in (“in, at, on”), + habeō (“I have, hold, keep”). 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 "inhibit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

inflict#18,589Hendrix#18,575Gilmore#18,570Gerrard#18,569

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

issuance10 variantslikeness10 variantsmixtape10 variantsDracula10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list