intellectual
/ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/
"intellectual" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“intellectual” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,310 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #4,310
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pertaining to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | intellectual |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #4,310 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “intellectual” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for intellectual is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,310 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Pertaining to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive.
- 2Endowed with intellect; having a keen sense of understanding; having the capacity for higher forms of knowledge or thought; characterized by intelligence or cleverness
- 3Suitable for exercising one's intellect; perceived by the intellect
- 4Relating to the understanding; treating of the mind.
- 5Spiritual.
Etymology
From Old French intellectuel, from Latin intellectualis.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "intellectual" mean?
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Using “intellectual”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-E-L-L-E-C-T-U-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “intellectually” - see the side-by-side comparison. intellectual vs intellectually
- 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.