interfere

/ˌɪn.tɚˈfɪɚ/

//ˌɪn.tɚˈfɪɚ// verb

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

"interfere" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“interfere” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,559 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#8,559
frequency rank, English
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To get involved or involve oneself, causing disturbance.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

interfere vs intervene
78% similar
interfere vs interfered
90% similar
interfere vs interferon
80% similar

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

Key facts for interfere
PropertyValue
Headwordinterfere
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌɪn.tɚˈfɪɚ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#8,559
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “interfere” 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). interfere 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 interfere is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɪn.tɚˈfɪɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,559 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for interfere, with forms such as "inetrfere", "innterfere", and "intefrere". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "intervene", "interfered", "interferon", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French entreferir, from entre- + ferir (“to hit, to strike”), itself from the Latin verb ferio. The correct English form is interfere, spelled I-N-T-E-R-F-E-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To get involved or involve oneself, causing disturbance.
  2. 2
    Of waves, to be correlated with each other when overlapped or superposed.
  3. 3
    Of a horse, to strike one foot against the opposite foot or ankle by using the legs.
  4. 4
    To sexually molest, especially of a child.

Etymology

From Old French entreferir, from entre- + ferir (“to hit, to strike”), itself from the Latin verb ferio.

This word in other languages

interferir(Español)entraver(Français)eingreifen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: inetrfere,innterfere,intefrere,interefre,interfeer,interferre,interffere,interfree,interrfere,intrefere,intterfere,itnerfere,niterfere

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inetrfere2innterfere1intefrere2interefre2interfeer2interferre1interffere1interfree2
Edit distance from "interfere"

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 "interfere"?
"interfere" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-F-E-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪn.tɚˈfɪɚ/.
What does "interfere" mean?
As a verb, "interfere" means: To get involved or involve oneself, causing disturbance.
What words are commonly confused with "interfere"?
"interfere" is commonly confused with "intervene", "interfered", "interferon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "interfere"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "interfere" is /ˌɪn.tɚˈfɪɚ/. 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 "interfere"?
From Old French entreferir, from entre- + ferir (“to hit, to strike”), itself from the Latin verb ferio. 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 “interfere”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-E-R-F-E-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɪn.tɚˈfɪɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “intervene” - see the side-by-side comparison. interfere vs intervene
  • 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