intercom

noun

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

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

The verdict

“intercom” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,287. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,287
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An independent, telephonic communication system, set up around and throughout a building, complex, or residence, typically for access control.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intercom · intercom · English

intercom · rank #33,287 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,287
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Inglis

Nearest frequency peer: Inglis (-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 “intercom”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “intercom” 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).

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “intercom”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Inglis” (#33,286), “Internationale” (#33,288), “inflow” (#33,285). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intercom” is #33,287. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around intercom, anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,287 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. emergency intercom
  2. talk on the intercom

Etymology

Clipping of intercommunicator.

This word in other languages

intercomunicador(Español)interphone(Français)Gegensprechanlage(Deutsch)

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "intercom", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Jamieson#33,295Hutchins#33,277Goebbels#33,256mangrove#33,318

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

immaterial12 variantsMississauga12 variantsexorcism12 variantsemulsion12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list