interlocutor
/ˌɪntəˈlɒkjʊtə/
"interlocutor" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“interlocutor” is an uncommon English word, ranked #61,560 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #61,560
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who takes part in dialogue or conversation: a locutive partner.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | interlocutor |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌɪntəˈlɒkjʊtə/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #61,560 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “interlocutor” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for interlocutor is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɪntəˈlɒkjʊtə/. Corpus data places it at rank #61,560 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
interlocutor has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin interlocūtor, from the agent noun counterpart (via the suffix -tor) of Latin interloquor (“speak between, issue an interlocutory decree”), from inter- + loquor (“speak”). The correct English form is interlocutor, spelled I-N-T-E-R-L-O-C-U-T-O-R.
Definition
- 1A person who takes part in dialogue or conversation: a locutive partner.
- 2A man in the middle of the line in a minstrel show who questions the endmen and acts as leader.
- 3An interlocutory judgement or sentence.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin interlocūtor, from the agent noun counterpart (via the suffix -tor) of Latin interloquor (“speak between, issue an interlocutory decree”), from inter- + loquor (“speak”).
This word in other languages
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
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Using “interlocutor”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-E-R-L-O-C-U-T-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɪntəˈlɒkjʊtə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.