intense

/ɪnˈtɛns/

//ɪnˈtɛns// adj

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

"intense" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“intense” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,698. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,698
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intense · intense · English

intense · rank #3,698 · 10 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,698
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH idiot

Nearest frequency peer: idiot (-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 “intense”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “intense” 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).

intense vs intent
71% similar
intense vs inverse
71% similar
intense vs intersex
75% similar

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

Key facts for intense
PropertyValue
Headwordintense
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈtɛns/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,698
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “intense”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).intenselands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “idiot” (#3,697), “keys” (#3,699), “handling” (#3,696). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intense” is #3,698. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around intense (IPA /ɪnˈtɛns/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,698 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for intense, with forms such as "inetnse", "inntense", and "intenes". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "intent", "inverse", "intersex", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English intens, intense (“ardent, fervent; extreme, great, intense”), borrowed from Old French intense (modern French intense), or directly from its etymon Latin intēnsus (“strained, stretched tight; intense; attentive; violent; (rare) eage… The correct English form is intense, spelled I-N-T-E-N-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering.
  2. 2
    Of a thing: possessing some characteristic to an extreme or very high or strong degree.
  3. 3
    Of feelings, thoughts, etc.: strongly focused; ardent, deep, earnest, passionate.
  4. 4
    Of a person: very emotional or passionate.
  5. 5
    Under tension; tightly drawn; strained, stressed, tense.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Nor was I yet able to passe through any of the narrower streets, but kept the widest; the ground and air, smoake and fiery vapour, continu'd so intense that my haire was almost sing'd, and my feete unsufferably surbated.
  2. […] Nature had a robe of glory on, / And the bright air o'er every shape did weave / Intenser hues, so that the herbless stone, / The leafless bough among the leaves alone, / Had being clearer than its own could be, […]

Etymology

From Late Middle English intens, intense (“ardent, fervent; extreme, great, intense”), borrowed from Old French intense (modern French intense), or directly from its etymon Latin intēnsus (“strained, stretched tight; intense; attentive; violent; (rare) eager, intent”), the perfect passive participle of intendō (“to stretch out, strain”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + tendō (“to extend, stretch”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tend- (“to extend, stretch”)).

This word in other languages

intenso(Español)intense(Français)hochgradig(Deutsch)intenso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetnse
  • inntense
  • intenes
  • intennse
  • intensse
  • intesne
  • intnese
  • inttense
  • itnense
  • nitense

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inetnse2inntense1intenes2intennse1intensse1intesne2intnese2inttense1
Edit distance from "intense"

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 "intense"?
"intense" is spelled I-N-T-E-N-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈtɛns/.
What does "intense" mean?
As an adjective, "intense" means: Of a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering.
What words are commonly confused with "intense"?
"intense" is commonly confused with "intent", "inverse", "intersex". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intense"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intense" is /ɪnˈtɛns/. 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 "intense"?
From Late Middle English intens, intense (“ardent, fervent; extreme, great, intense”), borrowed from Old French intense (modern French intense), or directly from its etymon Latin intēnsus (“strained, stretched tight; intense; attentive; violent; (... 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 "intense", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lawyers#3,700Francis#3,693fitness#3,692figured#3,691

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

damaged10 variantscompete10 variantscitizen10 variantsassociate10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list