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PlainSpell

intersection

/ˈɪntəɹˌsɛkʃən/noun

intersection is spelled I-N-T-E-R-S-E-C-T-I-O-N: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 7.6 times per million words in written English, the 8,542nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, intersection means “The junction of two (or more) paths, streets, highways, or other thoroughfares” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of intersection is intersections.

How many letters and syllables are in intersection?

Letters12: I-N-T-E-R-S-E-C-T-I-O-N
Syllables4 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing7.6 times per million words; the 8,542nd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

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).

How common is intersection?

Intersection appears 7.6 times per million words in written English, the 8,542nd 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 intersection?

  • /ˈɪntəɹˌsɛkʃən/
  • /ˌɪntəɹˈsɛkʃən/

Intersection has 4 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-intersection.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of intersection

  • intersections plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does intersection mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    The junction of two (or more) paths, streets, highways, or other thoroughfares.

    Near-synonym: crossroads

  2. 2

    Any overlap, confluence, or crossover.

  3. 3

    The point or set of points common to two geometrical objects (such as the point where two lines meet or the line where two planes intersect).

  4. 4

    The set containing all the elements that are common to two or more sets.

  5. 5

    The element where two or more straight lines of synchronized skaters pass through each other.https://web.archive.org/web/20120214131704/http://www.isu.org/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,4844-128590-19728-18885-295370-3787-4771-layout160-129898-news-item,00.html

  6. 6

    The pullback of a corner of monics.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Intersection in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchcarrefour, intersection (junction of two or more paths, etc)
GermanKreuzung, Straßenkreuzung (junction of two or more paths, etc), Schnittpunkt (in geometry), Durchschnitt, Schnittmenge, Durchschnittsmenge (in set theory)
Portuguesenó (junction of two or more paths, etc), interseção, intersecção (in geometry)
Spanishcruce (junction of two or more paths, etc), intersección (in geometry)

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 intersection come from?

From Middle French intersection and its etymon Latin intersectiō. By surface analysis, intersect + -ion.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after intersection