inhibitor

/ɪnˈhɪbɪtɚ/

//ɪnˈhɪbɪtɚ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“inhibitor” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,643. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,643
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who, or that which, inhibits.

Corpus desk

Index EN-inhibitor · inhibitor · English

inhibitor · rank #17,643 · 13 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,643
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH infancy

Nearest frequency peer: infancy (-2 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 “inhibitor”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “inhibitor” 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).

inhibitor vs inhibitory
90% similar
inhibitor vs inhibit
78% similar
inhibitor vs inhibition
80% similar

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

Key facts for inhibitor
PropertyValue
Headwordinhibitor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈhɪbɪtɚ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#17,643
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inhibitor”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).inhibitorlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “infancy” (#17,641), “inquire” (#17,646), “incremental” (#17,639). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inhibitor” is #17,643. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around inhibitor (IPA /ɪnˈhɪbɪtɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,643 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for inhibitor, with forms such as "ihnibitor", "inhbiitor", and "inhhibitor". 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, "inhibitory", "inhibit", "inhibition", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From inhibit + -or. The correct English form is inhibitor, spelled I-N-H-I-B-I-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who, or that which, inhibits.
  2. 2
    Any substance capable of stopping or slowing a specific chemical reaction.
  3. 3
    Any substance capable of stopping or slowing a specific biological process.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I found daily meditation to be a useful inhibitor of negative thoughts.
  2. The class of antidepressants most commonly associated with sexual dysfunction is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, which treat depression by ultimately increasing levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. […] A common solution is switching to bupropion, which is a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor, or NDRI.

Etymology

From inhibit + -or.

This word in other languages

inhibidor(Español)inhibiteur(Français)Inhibitor(Deutsch)inibidor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ihnibitor
  • inhbiitor
  • inhhibitor
  • inhibbitor
  • inhibiotr
  • inhibitorr
  • inhibitro
  • inhibittor
  • inhibtior
  • inhiibtor
  • inihbitor
  • innhibitor
  • nihibitor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ihnibitor2inhbiitor2inhhibitor1inhibbitor1inhibiotr2inhibitorr1inhibitro2inhibittor1
Edit distance from "inhibitor"

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 "inhibitor"?
"inhibitor" is spelled I-N-H-I-B-I-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈhɪbɪtɚ/.
What does "inhibitor" mean?
As a noun, "inhibitor" means: One who, or that which, inhibits.
What words are commonly confused with "inhibitor"?
"inhibitor" is commonly confused with "inhibitory", "inhibit", "inhibition". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inhibitor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inhibitor" is /ɪnˈhɪbɪtɚ/. 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 "inhibitor"?
From inhibit + -or. 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 "inhibitor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

inscribed#17,647insulated#17,648impartial#17,636leftovers#17,660

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

expansive13 variantselemental13 variantselectrode13 variantsorphanage13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list