interference

/ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns/

//ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“interference” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,241. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,241
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
19
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of interfering with something, or something that interferes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-interference · interference · English

interference · rank #7,241 · 19 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,241
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH insult

Nearest frequency peer: insult (-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 “interference”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “interference” 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
Key facts for interference
PropertyValue
Headwordinterference
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns/
Letters12
Frequency rank#7,241
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “interference”

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).interferencelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “insult” (#7,240), “interstate” (#7,242), “instrumental” (#7,239). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “interference” is #7,241. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around interference (IPA /ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,241 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for interference, with forms such as "inetrference", "innterference", and "intefrerence". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From interfere + -ence. The sense in physics was likely introduced by English polymath Thomas Young, which he used as early as 1801 in a paper in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. The correct English form is interference, spelled I-N-T-E-R-F-E-R-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of interfering with something, or something that interferes.
  2. 2
    The illegal obstruction of an opponent in some ball games.
  3. 3
    An effect caused by the superposition of two systems of waves.
  4. 4
    A distortion on a broadcast signal due to atmospheric or other effects.
  5. 5
    In United States patent law, an inter partes proceeding to determine the priority issues of multiple patent applications; a priority contest.
  6. 6
    The interruption of the line between an attacked piece and its defender by sacrificially interposing a piece.
  7. 7
    A negative or inappropriate language transfer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Somewhat impeded by constant political interference of one sort or another, British Railways are nevertheless pressing ahead with a mammoth modernisation programme; [...]
  2. "With magic in limited use and hidden, it was possible to enhance the various magic resistances of humans, and to keep certain forms of magic from being possible. If magic enters common usage, this interference becomes infeasible."

Etymology

From interfere + -ence. The sense in physics was likely introduced by English polymath Thomas Young, which he used as early as 1801 in a paper in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.

Antonyms

noninterference

This word in other languages

injerencia(Español)ingérence(Français)Einmischung(Deutsch)interferência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetrference
  • innterference
  • intefrerence
  • interefrence
  • interfeernce
  • interferance
  • interferecne
  • interferencce
  • interferenec
  • interferennce
  • interfernece
  • interferrence
  • interfference
  • interfreence
  • interrference
  • intreference
  • intterference
  • itnerference
  • niterference

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of interference - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

inetrference2innterference1intefrerence2interefrence2interfeernce2interferance1interferecne2interferencce1
Edit distance from "interference"

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 "interference"?
"interference" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-F-E-R-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns/.
What does "interference" mean?
As a noun, "interference" means: The act of interfering with something, or something that interferes.
What are common misspellings of "interference"?
Common misspellings include "inetrference", "innterference", "intefrerence", "interefrence", "interfeernce". The correct spelling is "interference".
How do you pronounce "interference"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "interference" is /ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns/. 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 "interference"?
From interfere + -ence. The sense in physics was likely introduced by English polymath Thomas Young, which he used as early as 1801 in a paper in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. 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 "interference", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

instrumental#7,239entrepreneur#7,219prescription#7,169considerably#7,110

Similar misspelling depth

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

institutional19 variantspreservation19 variantsconcentrated19 variantsconsultation19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list