intermediary

/ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈmiːdi.əɹi/

//ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈmiːdi.əɹi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“intermediary” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,010. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,010
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
18
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That intermediates.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intermediary · intermediary · English

intermediary · rank #23,010 · 18 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #23,010
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH insolvency

Nearest frequency peer: insolvency (-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 “intermediary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “intermediary” 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).

intermediary vs intermediate
83% similar

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

Key facts for intermediary
PropertyValue
Headwordintermediary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈmiːdi.əɹi/
Letters12
Frequency rank#23,010
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “intermediary”

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).intermediarylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “insolvency” (#23,009), “inline” (#23,008), “Ives” (#23,012). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intermediary” is #23,010. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around intermediary (IPA /ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈmiːdi.əɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #23,010 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "That intermediates.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for intermediary, with forms such as "inetrmediary", "inntermediary", and "intemrediary". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "intermediate", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French intermédiaire, adjusted to simulate a borrowing from Medieval Latin *intermediārius. The correct English form is intermediary, spelled I-N-T-E-R-M-E-D-I-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    That intermediates.

Etymology

From French intermédiaire, adjusted to simulate a borrowing from Medieval Latin *intermediārius.

This word in other languages

intermediario(Español)intermédiaire(Français)intermediär(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetrmediary
  • inntermediary
  • intemrediary
  • interemdiary
  • intermdeiary
  • intermedairy
  • intermeddiary
  • intermediarry
  • intermediaryy
  • intermediayr
  • intermediray
  • intermeidary
  • intermmediary
  • interrmediary
  • intremediary
  • inttermediary
  • itnermediary
  • nitermediary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inetrmediary2inntermediary1intemrediary2interemdiary2intermdeiary2intermedairy2intermeddiary1intermediarry1
Edit distance from "intermediary"

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 "intermediary"?
"intermediary" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-M-E-D-I-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈmiːdi.əɹi/.
What does "intermediary" mean?
As an adjective, "intermediary" means: That intermediates.
What words are commonly confused with "intermediary"?
"intermediary" is commonly confused with "intermediate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intermediary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intermediary" is /ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈmiːdi.əɹi/. 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 "intermediary"?
From French intermédiaire, adjusted to simulate a borrowing from Medieval Latin *intermediārius. 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 "intermediary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Huddersfield#23,000horticulture#22,998handkerchief#22,989penitentiary#23,059

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

polytechnic18 variantscomputerized18 variantstransporter18 variantsstructurally18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list