inmate

/ˈɪn.meɪt/

//ˈɪn.meɪt// noun

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

"inmate" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inmate” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,143. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,143
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person confined to an institution such as a prison (as a convict) or hospital (as a patient).

Corpus desk

Index EN-inmate · inmate · English

inmate · rank #14,143 · 8 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,143
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH indulge

Nearest frequency peer: indulge (-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 “inmate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “inmate” 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).

inmate vs irate
67% similar
inmate vs insane
67% similar
inmate vs invite
67% similar

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

Key facts for inmate
PropertyValue
Headwordinmate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪn.meɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#14,143
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inmate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).inmatelands 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 “indulge” (#14,142), “inscription” (#14,144), “icy” (#14,141). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inmate” is #14,143. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around inmate (IPA /ˈɪn.meɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,143 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for inmate, with forms such as "imnate", "inamte", and "inmaet". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "irate", "insane", "invite", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From inn + -mate, or from in- + -mate. The correct English form is inmate, spelled I-N-M-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person confined to an institution such as a prison (as a convict) or hospital (as a patient).
  2. 2
    A person who shares a residence (such as a hotel guest, a lodger, or a student living on campus), or other place.
  3. 3
    Synonym of passenger, a person held or riding within a vehicle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts. Not ignoring what is good, I am quick to perceive a horror, and could still be social with it—would they let me—since it is but well to be on friendly terms with all the inmates of the place one lodges in.
  2. [T]he inmates of the coach, by numerous hard, painful joltings, and ponderous, dragging trundlings, are suddenly made sensible of some great change in the character of the road.

Etymology

From inn + -mate, or from in- + -mate.

This word in other languages

internado(Español)détenu(Français)Insasse(Deutsch)interno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imnate
  • inamte
  • inmaet
  • inmatte
  • inmmate
  • inmtae
  • innmate
  • nimate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inmate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

imnate2inamte2inmaet2inmatte1inmmate1inmtae2innmate1nimate2
Edit distance from "inmate"

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 "inmate"?
"inmate" is spelled I-N-M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.meɪt/.
What does "inmate" mean?
As a noun, "inmate" means: A person confined to an institution such as a prison (as a convict) or hospital (as a patient).
What words are commonly confused with "inmate"?
"inmate" is commonly confused with "irate", "insane", "invite". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inmate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inmate" is /ˈɪn.meɪt/. 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 "inmate"?
From inn + -mate, or from in- + -mate. 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 "inmate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Kaiser#14,151kettle#14,152Hayden#14,132Hanson#14,130

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

hyped8 variantsHussein8 variantsexpire8 variantsmenace8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list