intern

/ɪnˈtɝn/

//ɪnˈtɝn// noun

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

"intern" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“intern” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,727. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,727
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who is interned, forcibly or voluntarily.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intern · intern · English

intern · rank #11,727 · 9 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,727
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH insulation

Nearest frequency peer: insulation (-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 “intern”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “intern” 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).

intern vs intro
67% similar
intern vs invert
67% similar
intern vs internet
75% similar

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

Key facts for intern
PropertyValue
Headwordintern
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈtɝn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,727
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “intern”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).internlands 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 “insulation” (#11,726), “irresponsible” (#11,728), “inaugural” (#11,725). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intern” is #11,727. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around intern (IPA /ɪnˈtɝn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,727 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A person who is interned, forcibly or voluntarily.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for intern, with forms such as "inetrn", "inntern", and "intenr". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "intro", "invert", "internet", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French interner, from interne (“inner, internal”), from Latin internus (“within, internal”), compare Etymology 2. The correct English form is intern, spelled I-N-T-E-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who is interned, forcibly or voluntarily.

Etymology

From French interner, from interne (“inner, internal”), from Latin internus (“within, internal”), compare Etymology 2.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetrn
  • inntern
  • intenr
  • internn
  • interrn
  • intren
  • inttern
  • itnern
  • nitern

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inetrn2inntern1intenr2internn1interrn1intren2inttern1itnern2
Edit distance from "intern"

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 "intern"?
"intern" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈtɝn/.
What does "intern" mean?
As a noun, "intern" means: A person who is interned, forcibly or voluntarily.
What words are commonly confused with "intern"?
"intern" is commonly confused with "intro", "invert", "internet". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intern"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intern" is /ɪnˈtɝn/. 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 "intern"?
From French interner, from interne (“inner, internal”), from Latin internus (“within, internal”), compare Etymology 2. 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 "intern", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Judith#11,731Hassan#11,717hacker#11,713merits#11,743

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

harness9 variantsgovern9 variantsMormon9 variantsfucker9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list