interpreter
/ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪ.tə/
"interpreter" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“interpreter” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,145 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,145
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another, particularly
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 | interpreter |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪ.tə/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #14,145 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “interpreter” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for interpreter is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪ.tə/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,145 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for interpreter, with forms such as "inetrpreter", "innterpreter", and "inteprreter". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "interpreters", "interpret", "interpreted", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English interpreter, interpretour, etc., from Old French interpreteur, interpreteeur, etc., from Late Latin interpretātōr, from classical Latin interpretātus (“explained, translated”) + -or (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from interpretārī (“to ex… The correct English form is interpreter, spelled I-N-T-E-R-P-R-E-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another, particularly
- 2A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 3A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 4A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 5A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 6A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 7A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 8A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 9A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 10A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 11A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 12A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
- 13A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another
Etymology
From Middle English interpreter, interpretour, etc., from Old French interpreteur, interpreteeur, etc., from Late Latin interpretātōr, from classical Latin interpretātus (“explained, translated”) + -or (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from interpretārī (“to explain, to translate”), from interpres (“go-between, translator”) + -ārī (“to be ~ed”), q.v. In reference to divine emissaries, a calque of Mercury's Latin epithet interpres divum (“go-between of the gods”). In reference to the rhetorical device, a calque of Latin interpretatio. Equivalent to interpret + -er. Displaced native Old English wealhstod.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: inetrpreter,innterpreter,inteprreter,interperter,interppreter,interpreetr,interpreterr,interpretre,interpretter,interprreter,interprteer,interrpeter,interrpreter,intrepreter,intterpreter,itnerpreter,niterpreter
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of interpreter - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "interpreter"?
What does "interpreter" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "interpreter"?
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Using “interpreter”
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-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪ.tə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “interpreters” - see the side-by-side comparison. interpreter vs interpreters
- 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.