intersex
/ˈɪn.tə.sɛks/
"intersex" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“intersex” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #32,045 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #32,045
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of an individual, having any of a variety of inherent conditions (in a species with distinct sexes) in which one's sex characteristics differ from those of a typical male and female; for example, h...
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 | intersex |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈɪn.tə.sɛks/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #32,045 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “intersex” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for intersex is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪn.tə.sɛks/. Corpus data places it at rank #32,045 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for intersex, with forms such as "inetrsex", "inntersex", and "interesx". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "inverse", "intense", "internet", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From German Intersexe. Doublet of intersect. By surface analysis, inter- + sex. The correct English form is intersex, spelled I-N-T-E-R-S-E-X.
Definition
- 1Of an individual, having any of a variety of inherent conditions (in a species with distinct sexes) in which one's sex characteristics differ from those of a typical male and female; for example, having sex characteristics relating to both male and female sexes.
- 2A person who can get pregnant and also impregnate someone else.
Etymology
From German Intersexe. Doublet of intersect. By surface analysis, inter- + sex.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: inetrsex,inntersex,interesx,interrsex,intersexx,interssex,intersxe,intesrex,intresex,inttersex,itnersex,nitersex
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of intersex - 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 "intersex"?
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Using “intersex”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-E-R-S-E-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɪn.tə.sɛks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “inverse” - see the side-by-side comparison. intersex vs inverse
- 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.