intend
in·tend/ɪnˈtɛnd/verb
intend is spelled I-N-T-E-N-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables (in·tend). It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,138th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, intend means “To fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in intend?
| Letters | 6: I-N-T-E-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: in·tend |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,138th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is intend?
Intend appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,138th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce intend?
- /ɪnˈtɛnd/
Intend has 2 syllables, split in·tend in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-intend.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with intend?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as intend.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: tinned, indent, dentin.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of intend
- intends present, singular, he/she/it
- intending participle, present
- intended participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does intend mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon
He intends to go to university.
- 2
To fix the mind on; attend to; take care of; superintend; regard.
- 3
obsoleteTo stretch to extend; distend.
- 4
To strain; make tense.
- 5
obsoleteTo intensify; strengthen.
Dotage, fatuity, or folly […] is for the most part intended or remitted in particular men, and thereupon some are wiser than others […].
- 6
To apply with energy.
- 7
To bend or turn; direct, as one’s course or journey.
- 8
To design mechanically or artistically; fashion; mold.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Intend in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to fix the mind upon a goal:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | avoir l'intention, prévoir |
| German | beabsichtigen, vorhaben, intendieren |
| Portuguese | pretender, tencionar |
| Spanish | pretender, intencionar, tener la intención de, la intención de... ser |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does intend come from?
From Middle English intenden, entenden (“direct (one’s) attention towards”), borrowed from Old French entendre, from Latin intendō, intendere. See also intensive. Doublet of entendre. Largely displaced native Old English myntan (“to mean, intend; to think, suppose”), whence dialectal mint.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).