intellect

/ˈɪntəlɛkt/

//ˈɪntəlɛkt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“intellect” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,195. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,195
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The faculty of thinking, judging, abstract reasoning, and conceptual understanding; the cognitive faculty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intellect · intellect · English

intellect · rank #15,195 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #15,195
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH IKEA

Nearest frequency peer: IKEA (-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 “intellect”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “intellect” 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).

intellect vs intersect
78% similar

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

Key facts for intellect
PropertyValue
Headwordintellect
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪntəlɛkt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#15,195
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “intellect”

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).intellectlands 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 “IKEA” (#15,193), “intending” (#15,197), “interchange” (#15,198). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intellect” is #15,195. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around intellect (IPA /ˈɪntəlɛkt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,195 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for intellect, with forms such as "inetllect", "inntellect", and "intelect". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "intersect", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin intellēctus (“understanding, intellect”), from Latin intellegō (“understand; reason”), from inter (“between, among”) + legō (“read”), with connotation of bind. The correct English form is intellect, spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-E-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The faculty of thinking, judging, abstract reasoning, and conceptual understanding; the cognitive faculty.
  2. 2
    The capacity of that faculty (in a particular person).
  3. 3
    A person who has that faculty to a great degree.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Intellect is one of man's greatest powers.
  2. They were chosen because of their outstanding intellect.

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin intellēctus (“understanding, intellect”), from Latin intellegō (“understand; reason”), from inter (“between, among”) + legō (“read”), with connotation of bind.

This word in other languages

intelecto(Español)intellect(Français)Intellekt(Deutsch)intelecto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetllect
  • inntellect
  • intelect
  • intelelct
  • intellcet
  • intellecct
  • intellectt
  • intelletc
  • intlelect
  • inttellect
  • itnellect
  • nitellect

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inetllect2inntellect1intelect1intelelct2intellcet2intellecct1intellectt1intelletc2
Edit distance from "intellect"

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 "intellect"?
"intellect" is spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-E-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪntəlɛkt/.
What does "intellect" mean?
As a noun, "intellect" means: The faculty of thinking, judging, abstract reasoning, and conceptual understanding; the cognitive faculty.
What words are commonly confused with "intellect"?
"intellect" is commonly confused with "intersect". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intellect"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intellect" is /ˈɪntəlɛkt/. 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 "intellect"?
Borrowed from Late Latin intellēctus (“understanding, intellect”), from Latin intellegō (“understand; reason”), from inter (“between, among”) + legō (“read”), with connotation of bind. 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 "intellect", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

intending#15,197homestead#15,187magnesium#15,215fractured#15,173

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

gardener12 variantsgalactic12 variantsfolklore12 variantsfielding12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list