interferon

/ˌɪn.təˈfɪːˌɒn/

//ˌɪn.təˈfɪːˌɒn// noun

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

"interferon" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“interferon” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,912. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,912
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of a group of glycoproteins, produced by the immune system, that prevent viral replication in infected cells.

Corpus desk

Index EN-interferon · interferon · English

interferon · rank #38,912 · 15 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,912
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH intercession

Nearest frequency peer: intercession (-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 “interferon”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “interferon” 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).

interferon vs interfere
80% similar
interferon vs interfered
80% similar
interferon vs interfering
82% similar

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

Key facts for interferon
PropertyValue
Headwordinterferon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪn.təˈfɪːˌɒn/
Letters10
Frequency rank#38,912
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “interferon”

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).interferonlands 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 “intercession” (#38,911), “insufficiently” (#38,910), “irrevocable” (#38,914). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “interferon” is #38,912. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around interferon (IPA /ˌɪn.təˈfɪːˌɒn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #38,912 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Any of a group of glycoproteins, produced by the immune system, that prevent viral replication in infected cells.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for interferon, with forms such as "inetrferon", "innterferon", and "intefreron". 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, "interfere", "interfered", "interfering", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From interfer~ + -on (suffix: chemical compound), from its role interfering with viral replication. The correct English form is interferon, spelled I-N-T-E-R-F-E-R-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a group of glycoproteins, produced by the immune system, that prevent viral replication in infected cells.

Etymology

From interfer~ + -on (suffix: chemical compound), from its role interfering with viral replication.

This word in other languages

interféron(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetrferon
  • innterferon
  • intefreron
  • interefron
  • interfeorn
  • interferno
  • interferonn
  • interferron
  • interfferon
  • interfreon
  • interrferon
  • intreferon
  • intterferon
  • itnerferon
  • niterferon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of interferon - 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.

inetrferon2innterferon1intefreron2interefron2interfeorn2interferno2interferonn1interferron1
Edit distance from "interferon"

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 "interferon"?
"interferon" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-F-E-R-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪn.təˈfɪːˌɒn/.
What does "interferon" mean?
As a noun, "interferon" means: Any of a group of glycoproteins, produced by the immune system, that prevent viral replication in infected cells.
What words are commonly confused with "interferon"?
"interferon" is commonly confused with "interfere", "interfered", "interfering". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "interferon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "interferon" is /ˌɪn.təˈfɪːˌɒn/. 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 "interferon"?
From interfer~ + -on (suffix: chemical compound), from its role interfering with viral replication. 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 "interferon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

inoperable#38,908inhabitant#38,906indentured#38,904inbreeding#38,900

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

irrevocable15 variantsidentically15 variantsmaleficent15 variantsmesmerized15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list