instill

/ɪnˈstɪl/

//ɪnˈstɪl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“instill” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,958. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,958
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cause a quality to become part of someone's nature.

Corpus desk

Index EN-instill · instill · English

instill · rank #28,958 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,958
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH infrequently

Nearest frequency peer: infrequently (-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 “instill”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “instill” 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).

instill vs infill
71% similar
instill vs initial
71% similar
instill vs install
86% similar

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

Key facts for instill
PropertyValue
Headwordinstill
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈstɪl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#28,958
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “instill”

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).instilllands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “infrequently” (#28,957), “invalidate” (#28,959), “infernal” (#28,956). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “instill” is #28,958. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around instill (IPA /ɪnˈstɪl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #28,958 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for instill, with forms such as "innstill", "insitll", and "insstill". 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, "infill", "initial", "install", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin instillō. The correct English form is instill, spelled I-N-S-T-I-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cause a quality to become part of someone's nature.
  2. 2
    To pour in (medicine, for example) drop by drop.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. It is important to instill discipline in a child at an early age.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin instillō.

This word in other languages

insuflar(Español)inculquer(Français)anerziehen(Deutsch)inculcar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • innstill
  • insitll
  • insstill
  • instil
  • instlil
  • insttill
  • intsill
  • isntill
  • nistill

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

innstill1insitll2insstill1instil1instlil2insttill1intsill2isntill2
Edit distance from "instill"

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 "instill"?
"instill" is spelled I-N-S-T-I-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈstɪl/.
What does "instill" mean?
As a verb, "instill" means: To cause a quality to become part of someone's nature.
What words are commonly confused with "instill"?
"instill" is commonly confused with "infill", "initial", "install". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "instill"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "instill" is /ɪnˈstɪl/. 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 "instill"?
Borrowed from Latin instillō. 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 "instill", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Hitachi#28,951heretic#28,948kingpin#28,968handout#28,942

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Lawton9 variantslocust9 variantsLubbock9 variantsminced9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list