interval
/ˈɪntəvəl/
"interval" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“interval” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,068 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #10,068
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A distance in space.
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 | interval |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɪntəvəl/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #10,068 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “interval” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for interval is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪntəvəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,068 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 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 interval, with forms such as "inetrval", "innterval", and "interavl". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "intervals", "internal", "integral", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English interval, intervalle, from Old French intervalle, entreval, from Latin intervallum (“space between, interval, distance, interval of time, pause, difference; literally, space between two palisades or walls”), from inter (“between”) + vall… The correct English form is interval, spelled I-N-T-E-R-V-A-L.
Definition
- 1A distance in space.
- 2A period of time.
- 3The difference (a ratio or logarithmic measure) in pitch between two notes, often referring to those two pitches themselves (otherwise known as a dyad).
- 4A connected section of the real line which may be empty or have a length of zero.
- 5An intermission.
- 6half time, a scheduled intermission between the periods of play.
- 7Either of the two breaks, at lunch and tea, between the three sessions of a day's play.
Etymology
From Middle English interval, intervalle, from Old French intervalle, entreval, from Latin intervallum (“space between, interval, distance, interval of time, pause, difference; literally, space between two palisades or walls”), from inter (“between”) + vallum (“palisade, wall”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: inetrval,innterval,interavl,interrval,intervall,intervla,intervval,intevral,intreval,intterval,itnerval,niterval
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of interval - 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
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Using “interval”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-E-R-V-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɪntəvəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “intervals” - see the side-by-side comparison. interval vs intervals
- 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.