interpret
/ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪt/
"interpret" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“interpret” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,486 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #9,486
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To decode the meaning of a topic and then act, whether to continue researching the topic, follow through, act in opposition, or further the understanding through sharing an interpretation.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | interpret |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #9,486 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “interpret” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for interpret is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,486 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for interpret, with forms such as "inetrpret", "innterpret", and "inteprret". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "interred", "interpreted", "interpreter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English interpreten, from Old French enterpreter, (French interpréter), from Latin interpretor (“to explain, expound, interpret”), past participle interpretatus, from interpres (“an agent, broker, explainer, interpreter, negotiator”), from inter… The correct English form is interpret, spelled I-N-T-E-R-P-R-E-T.
Definition
- 1To decode the meaning of a topic and then act, whether to continue researching the topic, follow through, act in opposition, or further the understanding through sharing an interpretation.
- 2To explain or tell the meaning of; to translate orally into intelligible or familiar language or terms. applied especially to language, but also to dreams, signs, conduct, mysteries, etc.
- 3To apprehend and represent by means of art; to show by illustrative representation
- 4To convey what a user of one language is saying or signing, in real time or shortly after that person has finished communicating, to a user of a different language
- 5To analyse or execute (a program) by reading the instructions as they are encountered, rather than compiling in advance.
Etymology
From Middle English interpreten, from Old French enterpreter, (French interpréter), from Latin interpretor (“to explain, expound, interpret”), past participle interpretatus, from interpres (“an agent, broker, explainer, interpreter, negotiator”), from inter (“between”) + -pres, probably the root of pretium (“price”); -pres is probably connected with Ancient Greek φράζειν (phrázein, “to point out, show, explain, declare, speak”), from which φραδή (phradḗ, “understanding”), φράσις (phrásis, “speech”); see phrase.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: inetrpret,innterpret,inteprret,interpert,interppret,interprett,interprret,interprte,interrpet,interrpret,intrepret,intterpret,itnerpret,niterpret
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of interpret - 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.
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
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Using “interpret”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-E-R-P-R-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “interred” - see the side-by-side comparison. interpret vs interred
- 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.