interpret
/ɪnˈtɝ.pɹɪt/verb
interpret is spelled I-N-T-E-R-P-R-E-T. The wrong spelling people search most is interpet: about 110 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 23 of all searches for the word. Interpret is a verb meaning “To decode the meaning of a topic and then act, whether to continue researching the topic, follow through, act…”.
How many letters and syllables are in interpret?
| Letters | 9: I-N-T-E-R-P-R-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.5 times per million words; the 9,463rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, interpet, about 110 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How do you spell interpret?
Interpret is spelled I-N-T-E-R-P-R-E-T. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 23 of the searches for interpret in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is interpret?
Interpret appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce interpret?
- UK /ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪt/
- US /ɪnˈtɝ.pɹɪt/
- /ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪt/
Interpret has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-interpret.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with interpret?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as interpret from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹpɹɪt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of interpret
- interprets present, singular, he/she/it
- interpreting participle, present
- interpreted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does interpret mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
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.
- 2
To 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.
to interpret an Indian speech
- 3
To apprehend and represent by means of art; to show by illustrative representation.
The actor interpreted the character of Hamlet with great skill.
- 4
To 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.
He interpreted at the meeting between the Chinese and French associates.
- 5
To analyse or execute (a program) by reading the instructions as they are encountered, rather than compiling in advance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Interpret in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | interpretieren , dolmetschen, übersetzen |
| Portuguese | interpretar , traduzir |
| Spanish | explicar, exponer, interpretar |
| French | traduire , interpréter |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does interpret come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).