intellectual

/ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/

//ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl// adj

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

"intellectual" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“intellectual” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,310. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,310
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pertaining to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intellectual · intellectual · English

intellectual · rank #4,310 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,310
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH hurts

Nearest frequency peer: hurts (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “intellectual”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “intellectual” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

intellectual vs intellectually
86% similar

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

Key facts for intellectual
PropertyValue
Headwordintellectual
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/
Letters12
Frequency rank#4,310
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “intellectual” 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).intellectuallands 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 “hurts” (#4,309), “invite” (#4,311), “Hillary” (#4,308). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around intellectual (IPA /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #4,310 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for intellectual, with forms such as "inetllectual", "inntellectual", and "intelectual". 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, "intellectually", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French intellectuel, from Latin intellectualis. The correct English form is intellectual, spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-E-C-T-U-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pertaining to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive.
  2. 2
    Endowed with intellect; having a keen sense of understanding; having the capacity for higher forms of knowledge or thought; characterized by intelligence or cleverness
  3. 3
    Suitable for exercising one's intellect; perceived by the intellect
  4. 4
    Relating to the understanding; treating of the mind.
  5. 5
    Spiritual.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. intellectual powers, activities, etc.
  2. 1920, Harold Monro, Preface to The year's at the spring; an anthology of recent poetry Pleasure is various, but it cannot exist where the emotions or the imagination have not been powerfully stirred. Whether it be called sensual or intellectual, pleasure cannot be willed

Etymology

From Old French intellectuel, from Latin intellectualis.

Synonyms

cerebralintellectuallogicalmentalrational

Antonyms

nonintellectualvisceral

This word in other languages

intelectual(Español)intellectuel(Français)intellektuell(Deutsch)intelectual(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetllectual
  • inntellectual
  • intelectual
  • intelelctual
  • intellcetual
  • intellecctual
  • intellectaul
  • intellecttual
  • intellectuall
  • intellectula
  • intellecutal
  • intelletcual
  • intlelectual
  • inttellectual
  • itnellectual
  • nitellectual

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inetllectual2inntellectual1intelectual1intelelctual2intellcetual2intellecctual1intellectaul2intellecttual1
Edit distance from "intellectual"

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 "intellectual"?
"intellectual" is spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-E-C-T-U-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/.
What does "intellectual" mean?
As an adjective, "intellectual" means: Pertaining to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive.
What words are commonly confused with "intellectual"?
"intellectual" is commonly confused with "intellectually". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intellectual"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intellectual" is /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/. 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 "intellectual"?
From Old French intellectuel, from Latin intellectualis. 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 "intellectual", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

restrictions#4,263presentation#4,260announcement#4,207technologies#4,194

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

protecting16 variantscooperation16 variantscertificate16 variantsinvestigate16 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "intellectual". Here's where to go from here.

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "intellectually". View pair
  • 16 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #4,310 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "I" letter cohort. I–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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