intelligence
/ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/
"intelligence" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“intelligence” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,044 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #2,044
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to comprehend and learn; the ability to process sentie...
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 | intelligence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #2,044 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “intelligence” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for intelligence is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,044 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for intelligence, with forms such as "inetlligence", "inntelligence", and "inteligence". 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, "intelligent", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English intelligence, from Old French intelligence, from Latin intelligentia, which is from inter- (“between”) + legere (“to choose, pick out, read”), from Proto-Italic *legō (“to care”). Doublet of intelligentsia. The correct English form is intelligence, spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-I-G-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1The capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to comprehend and learn; the ability to process sentient experience to generate true beliefs with a justified degree of confidence.
- 2The quality of making use or having made use of such capacities: depth of understanding, mental quickness.
- 3An entity that has such capacities.
- 4Information, often secret, about an enemy or about hostile activities.
- 5A political or military department, agency or unit designed to gather information, usually secret, about the enemy or about hostile activities.
- 6Acquaintance; intercourse; familiarity.
Etymology
From Middle English intelligence, from Old French intelligence, from Latin intelligentia, which is from inter- (“between”) + legere (“to choose, pick out, read”), from Proto-Italic *legō (“to care”). Doublet of intelligentsia.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: inetlligence,inntelligence,inteligence,intelilgence,intellgience,intelliegnce,intelligance,intelligecne,intelligencce,intelligenec,intelligennce,intelliggence,intellignece,intleligence,inttelligence,itnelligence,nitelligence
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of intelligence - 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
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Using “intelligence”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-E-L-L-I-G-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “intelligent” - see the side-by-side comparison. intelligence vs intelligent
- 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.