international

/ˌɪn.təˈnæʃ.(ə.)n(ə)l/

//ˌɪn.təˈnæʃ.(ə.)n(ə)l// adj

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

"international" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“international” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #435 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#435
frequency rank, English
13
letters
19
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or having to do with more than one nation.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

international vs Internationale
86% similar
international vs internationally
87% similar
international vs intentional
85% similar

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

Key facts for international
PropertyValue
Headwordinternational
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɪn.təˈnæʃ.(ə.)n(ə)l/
Letters13
Frequency rank#435
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “international” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). international lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for international is 13 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɪn.təˈnæʃ.(ə.)n(ə)l/. Corpus data places it at rank #435 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for international, with forms such as "inetrnational", "innternational", and "intenrational". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Internationale", "internationally", "intentional", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From inter- + national. Introduced in modern English by Jeremy Bentham in his An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, 1780. The correct English form is international, spelled I-N-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or having to do with more than one nation.
  2. 2
    Of or having to do with more than one nation.
  3. 3
    Of or having to do with more than one nation.
  4. 4
    Of or having to do with more than one nation.
  5. 5
    Of or concerning the association called the International.
  6. 6
    Independent of national boundaries; common to all people.
  7. 7
    Foreign; of another nation.

Etymology

From inter- + national. Introduced in modern English by Jeremy Bentham in his An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, 1780.

This word in other languages

internacional(Español)international(Français)international(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: inetrnational,innternational,intenrational,interantional,internaitonal,internatinoal,internatioanl,internationall,internationla,internationnal,internatoinal,internattional,internnational,interntaional,interrnational,intrenational,intternational,itnernational,niternational

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inetrnational2innternational1intenrational2interantional2internaitonal2internatinoal2internatioanl2internationall1
Edit distance from "international"

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 "international"?
"international" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪn.təˈnæʃ.(ə.)n(ə)l/.
What does "international" mean?
As an adjective, "international" means: Of or having to do with more than one nation.
What words are commonly confused with "international"?
"international" is commonly confused with "Internationale", "internationally", "intentional". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "international"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "international" is /ˌɪn.təˈnæʃ.(ə.)n(ə)l/. 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 "international"?
From inter- + national. Introduced in modern English by Jeremy Bentham in his An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, 1780. 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.

Using “international”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɪn.təˈnæʃ.(ə.)n(ə)l/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Internationale” - see the side-by-side comparison. international vs Internationale
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list