intake

/ˈɪnteɪk/

//ˈɪnteɪk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“intake” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,352 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,352
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The place where water, air or other fluid is taken into a pipe or conduit; opposed to outlet.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

intake vs INTHE
0% similar
intake vs invade
67% similar
intake vs invoke
67% similar

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

Key facts for intake
PropertyValue
Headwordintake
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪnteɪk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,352
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “intake” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). intake lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for intake is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪnteɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,352 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for intake, with forms such as "inatke", "inntake", and "intaek". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "INTHE", "invade", "invoke", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From English dialectal (Northern England/Scotland), deverbal of take in, equivalent to in- + take. More at in-, take. The correct English form is intake, spelled I-N-T-A-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The place where water, air or other fluid is taken into a pipe or conduit; opposed to outlet.
  2. 2
    The beginning of a contraction or narrowing in a tube or cylinder.
  3. 3
    The quantity taken in.
  4. 4
    An act or instance of taking in.
  5. 5
    A nostril, especially a large one.
  6. 6
    The people taken into an organization or establishment at a particular time.
  7. 7
    The process of screening a juvenile offender to decide upon release or referral.
  8. 8
    A tract of land enclosed.
  9. 9
    Any kind of cheat or imposition; the act of taking someone in.
  10. 10
    The part of language input that is actually processed by a learner.

Etymology

From English dialectal (Northern England/Scotland), deverbal of take in, equivalent to in- + take. More at in-, take.

This word in other languages

ingesta(Español)prise(Français)tomada(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: inatke,inntake,intaek,intakke,intkae,inttake,itnake,nitake

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of intake - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

inatke2inntake1intaek2intakke1intkae2inttake1itnake2nitake2
Edit distance from "intake"

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 "intake"?
"intake" is spelled I-N-T-A-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪnteɪk/.
What does "intake" mean?
As a noun, "intake" means: The place where water, air or other fluid is taken into a pipe or conduit; opposed to outlet.
What words are commonly confused with "intake"?
"intake" is commonly confused with "INTHE", "invade", "invoke". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intake"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intake" is /ˈɪnteɪk/. 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 "intake"?
From English dialectal (Northern England/Scotland), deverbal of take in, equivalent to in- + take. More at in-, take. 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.

Using “intake”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-A-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪnteɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “INTHE” - see the side-by-side comparison. intake vs INTHE
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list