intermission

/ɪntɚˈmɪʃən/

//ɪntɚˈmɪʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“intermission” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,598. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,598
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A break, especially between two performances or sessions, such as at a concert, play, seminar, or religious assembly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intermission · intermission · English

intermission · rank #28,598 · 17 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #28,598
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH innovator

Nearest frequency peer: innovator (-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 “intermission”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “intermission” 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).

intermission vs intercession
83% similar

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

Key facts for intermission
PropertyValue
Headwordintermission
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪntɚˈmɪʃən/
Letters12
Frequency rank#28,598
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “intermission”

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).intermissionlands 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 “innovator” (#28,597), “Iqbal” (#28,599), “inflate” (#28,596). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intermission” is #28,598. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around intermission (IPA /ɪntɚˈmɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,598 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A break, especially between two performances or sessions, such as at a concert, play, seminar, or religious assembly.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for intermission, with forms such as "inetrmission", "inntermission", and "intemrission". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "intercession", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin intermissiō, from intermittō. The correct English form is intermission, spelled I-N-T-E-R-M-I-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A break, especially between two performances or sessions, such as at a concert, play, seminar, or religious assembly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We ordered some drinks for the intermission.
  2. The line turns a sharp right-angle to the north to circumvent the town, and then plunges straight into the 1 in 50, which lasts for nearly 20 miles with few intermissions, and some pitches of 1 in 40.

Etymology

From Latin intermissiō, from intermittō.

This word in other languages

intermisión(Español)intermède(Français)Unterbrechung(Deutsch)intervalo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetrmission
  • inntermission
  • intemrission
  • interimssion
  • intermision
  • intermisison
  • intermissino
  • intermissionn
  • intermissoin
  • intermistion
  • intermmission
  • intermsision
  • interrmission
  • intremission
  • inttermission
  • itnermission
  • nitermission

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inetrmission2inntermission1intemrission2interimssion2intermision1intermisison2intermissino2intermissionn1
Edit distance from "intermission"

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 "intermission"?
"intermission" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-M-I-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪntɚˈmɪʃən/.
What does "intermission" mean?
As a noun, "intermission" means: A break, especially between two performances or sessions, such as at a concert, play, seminar, or religious assembly.
What words are commonly confused with "intermission"?
"intermission" is commonly confused with "intercession". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intermission"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intermission" is /ɪntɚˈmɪʃən/. 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 "intermission"?
From Latin intermissiō, from intermittō. 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 "intermission", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

inexplicably#28,594implantation#28,589immunization#28,588distillation#28,520

Similar misspelling depth

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

hibernation17 variantsdegenerative17 variantsrestructure17 variantsstakeholder17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list