intercom

noun

"intercom" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“intercom” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,287 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#33,287
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An independent, telephonic communication system, set up around and throughout a building, complex, or residence, typically for access control.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

intercom vs interim
75% similar
intercom vs interior
75% similar
intercom vs Interpol
63% similar

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

Key facts for intercom
PropertyValue
Headwordintercom
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#33,287
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “intercom” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for intercom is 8 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #33,287 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "An independent, telephonic communication system, set up around and throughout a building, complex, or residence, typically for access control.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for intercom, with forms such as "inetrcom", "inntercom", and "intecrom". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "interim", "interior", "Interpol", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of intercommunicator. The correct English form is intercom, spelled I-N-T-E-R-C-O-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    An independent, telephonic communication system, set up around and throughout a building, complex, or residence, typically for access control.

Etymology

Clipping of intercommunicator.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: inetrcom,inntercom,intecrom,interccom,intercmo,intercomm,interocm,interrcom,intrecom,inttercom,itnercom,nitercom

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of intercom - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

inetrcom2inntercom1intecrom2interccom1intercmo2intercomm1interocm2interrcom1
Edit distance from "intercom"

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 "intercom"?
"intercom" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-C-O-M.
What does "intercom" mean?
As a noun, "intercom" means: An independent, telephonic communication system, set up around and throughout a building, complex, or residence, typically for access control.
What words are commonly confused with "intercom"?
"intercom" is commonly confused with "interim", "interior", "Interpol". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "intercom"?
Clipping of intercommunicator. 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.

Using “intercom”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-E-R-C-O-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “interim” - see the side-by-side comparison. intercom vs interim
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list