intermediate

/ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/

//ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət// adj

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

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

The verdict

“intermediate” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,698. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,698
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Being between two extremes, or in the middle of a range.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intermediate · intermediate · English

intermediate · rank #6,698 · 17 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,698
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inspiring

Nearest frequency peer: inspiring (-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 “intermediate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “intermediate” 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).

intermediate vs intermediates
92% similar
intermediate vs intermediary
83% similar

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

Key facts for intermediate
PropertyValue
Headwordintermediate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/
Letters12
Frequency rank#6,698
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “intermediate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).intermediatelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “inspiring” (#6,697), “invention” (#6,699), “induced” (#6,696). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intermediate” is #6,698. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around intermediate (IPA /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,698 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Being between two extremes, or in the middle of a range.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for intermediate, with forms such as "inetrmediate", "inntermediate", and "intemrediate". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "intermediates", "intermediary", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Medieval Latin intermediātus, perfect passive participle of intermediō (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), further from intermedius (“intermediate”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is intermediate, spelled I-N-T-E-R-M-E-D-I-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Being between two extremes, or in the middle of a range.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Then, being on his knees between my thighs, he drew up his ſhirt, and bared all his hairy thighs, and ſtiff ſtaring truncheon, red-topt, and rooted into a thicket of curls, which cover’d his belly to his navel, and gave it the air of a fleſh-bruſh: and ſoon I felt it joining cloſe to mine, when he had drove the nail up to the head, and left no partition b…
  2. Such was the station provided for the infrequent services of 1852, when suburban traffic was unheard of, and Hornsey, Colney Hatch & Southgate, Barnet, and Potters Bar were the only intermediate stations on the 17¾ miles between London and Hatfield.

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin intermediātus, perfect passive participle of intermediō (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), further from intermedius (“intermediate”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

Synonyms

averageintermediatemiddlemiddlingmildmediummoderate

Antonyms

extremeintense

This word in other languages

intermedio(Español)intermédiaire(Français)intermédio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetrmediate
  • inntermediate
  • intemrediate
  • interemdiate
  • intermdeiate
  • intermedaite
  • intermeddiate
  • intermediaet
  • intermediatte
  • intermeditae
  • intermeidate
  • intermmediate
  • interrmediate
  • intremediate
  • inttermediate
  • itnermediate
  • nitermediate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inetrmediate2inntermediate1intemrediate2interemdiate2intermdeiate2intermedaite2intermeddiate1intermediaet2
Edit distance from "intermediate"

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 "intermediate"?
"intermediate" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-M-E-D-I-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/.
What does "intermediate" mean?
As an adjective, "intermediate" means: Being between two extremes, or in the middle of a range.
What words are commonly confused with "intermediate"?
"intermediate" is commonly confused with "intermediates", "intermediary". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intermediate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intermediate" is /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/. 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 "intermediate"?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin intermediātus, perfect passive participle of intermediō (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), further from intermedius (“intermediate”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). 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 "intermediate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mathematical#6,709experiencing#6,684Thanksgiving#6,747associations#6,866

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

magnificent17 variantsstrengthen17 variantsidentifying17 variantsuncertainty17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list