intelligence

/ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/

//ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“intelligence” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,044. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,044
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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...

Corpus desk

Index EN-intelligence · intelligence · English

intelligence · rank #2,044 · 17 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,044
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH forest

Nearest frequency peer: forest (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “intelligence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “intelligence” 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).

intelligence vs intelligent
83% similar

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

Key facts for intelligence
PropertyValue
Headwordintelligence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/
Letters12
Frequency rank#2,044
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “intelligence”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).intelligencelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “forest” (#2,043), “intended” (#2,045), “fixed” (#2,042). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intelligence” is #2,044. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around intelligence (IPA /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,044 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    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 sentient experience to generate true beliefs with a justified degree of confidence.
  2. 2
    The quality of making use or having made use of such capacities: depth of understanding, mental quickness.
  3. 3
    An entity that has such capacities.
  4. 4
    Information, often secret, about an enemy or about hostile activities.
  5. 5
    A political or military department, agency or unit designed to gather information, usually secret, about the enemy or about hostile activities.
  6. 6
    Acquaintance; intercourse; familiarity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Not so, however, with Tarzan, the man-child. His life amidst the dangers of the jungle had taught him to meet emergencies with self-confidence, and his higher intelligence resulted in a quickness of mental action far beyond the powers of the apes.
  2. ...the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.

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

brainbrainsclevernessheadbrightnessintellectintelligencemindnouspsychereasonsmartnesssmartswitjudgment

Antonyms

blockheadednessboneheadednessdensitydensenessdimnessdimwittednessdolterydullnessdullwittednessdumbnessdumminessduncedomduncehooddunceryemptyheadednessfatuityfooleryfoolishnesshebetudeidioticnessidiocyimbecilitymoronicitymoronicnessobtusenessobtusityslow-wittednessstoliditystupiditythickheadednessvacuityvacuousness

This word in other languages

inteligencia(Español)intelligence(Français)Intelligenz(Deutsch)inteligência(Português)

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.

inetlligence2inntelligence1inteligence1intelilgence2intellgience2intelliegnce2intelligance1intelligecne2
Edit distance from "intelligence"

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 "intelligence"?
"intelligence" is spelled I-N-T-E-L-L-I-G-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/.
What does "intelligence" mean?
As a noun, "intelligence" means: 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...
What words are commonly confused with "intelligence"?
"intelligence" is commonly confused with "intelligent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intelligence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intelligence" is /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/. 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 "intelligence"?
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. 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 "intelligence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

specifically#2,269conversation#1,816applications#2,279distribution#2,290

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

considering17 variantscombination17 variantsopportunities17 variantscorporation17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list