intention
in·ten·tion/ɪnˈtɛnʃn̩/noun, verb
intention is spelled I-N-T-E-N-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables (in·ten·tion). It appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, intention means “A course of action that a person intends to follow” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of intention is intentions.
How many letters and syllables are in intention?
| Letters | 9: I-N-T-E-N-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: in·ten·tion |
| In writing | 21 times per million words; the 4,076th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is intention?
Intention appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th 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 intention?
- /ɪnˈtɛnʃn̩/
Intention has 3 syllables, split in·ten·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-intention.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of intention
- intentions plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- intentioning participle, present
- intentioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does intention mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A course of action that a person intends to follow.
My intention was to marry a wealthy widow.
- 2
A goal or purpose.
The intention of this legislation is to boost the economy.
- 3
obsoleteTension; straining, stretching.
cold in those inner parts, cold belly, and hot liver, causeth crudity, and intention proceeds from perturbations […].
- 4
obsoleteA stretching or bending of the mind toward an object or a purpose (an intent); closeness of application; fixedness of attention; earnestness.
- 5
obsoleteThe object toward which the thoughts are directed; end; aim.
In a Word, the most part of chronical Distempers proceed from Laxity of Fibres; in which Case the principal Intention is to restore the Tone of the solid Parts; […].
- 6
obsoleteAny mental apprehension of an object.
- 7
A process of the healing of a wound.
verb
- 1
To intend.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Intention in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense course intended to follow:
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 intention come from?
From Middle English entencioun, intention, from Old French entencion, from Latin intentiō, intentiōnem. Compare intent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).