interception

/ɪntɚˈsɛpʃən/

//ɪntɚˈsɛpʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“interception” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,502. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,502
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
19
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act of intercepting something, the state of being intercepted, or a thing that is intercepted.

Corpus desk

Index EN-interception · interception · English

interception · rank #16,502 · 19 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,502
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH insomnia

Nearest frequency peer: insomnia (-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 “interception”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “interception” 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).

interception vs interceptor
83% similar
interception vs intervention
83% similar
interception vs intersection
83% similar

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

Key facts for interception
PropertyValue
Headwordinterception
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪntɚˈsɛpʃən/
Letters12
Frequency rank#16,502
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “interception”

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).interceptionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “insomnia” (#16,501), “invaders” (#16,503), “incompetence” (#16,500). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “interception” is #16,502. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around interception (IPA /ɪntɚˈsɛpʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,502 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for interception, with forms such as "inetrception", "innterception", and "intecreption". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "interceptor", "intervention", "intersection", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin interceptiō; compare French interception. The correct English form is interception, spelled I-N-T-E-R-C-E-P-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of intercepting something, the state of being intercepted, or a thing that is intercepted.
  2. 2
    An aeronautical action in which a fighter approaches a suspicious aircraft to escort it away from a prohibited area, or approaches an enemy aircraft to shoot it down.
  3. 3
    A passing play where the ball is caught by the opposing team.
  4. 4
    A pass that is intercepted by an opposing player.
  5. 5
    precipitation that does not reach the soil, but is instead intercepted by the leaves, branches of plants and the forest floor.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin interceptiō; compare French interception.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetrception
  • innterception
  • intecreption
  • intercception
  • intercepiton
  • intercepption
  • intercepsion
  • interceptino
  • interceptionn
  • interceptoin
  • intercepttion
  • intercetpion
  • intercpetion
  • interecption
  • interrception
  • intreception
  • intterception
  • itnerception
  • niterception

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inetrception2innterception1intecreption2intercception1intercepiton2intercepption1intercepsion1interceptino2
Edit distance from "interception"

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 "interception"?
"interception" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-C-E-P-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪntɚˈsɛpʃən/.
What does "interception" mean?
As a noun, "interception" means: An act of intercepting something, the state of being intercepted, or a thing that is intercepted.
What words are commonly confused with "interception"?
"interception" is commonly confused with "interceptor", "intervention", "intersection". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "interception"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "interception" is /ɪntɚˈsɛpʃən/. 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 "interception"?
Borrowed from Latin interceptiō; compare French interception. 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 "interception", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

incompetence#16,500illegitimate#16,497homelessness#16,489correctional#16,441

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

deterioration19 variantsconservatism19 variantsproclamation19 variantsstrategically19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list