interview

/ˈɪn.tə.vjuː/

//ˈɪn.tə.vjuː// noun

"interview" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“interview” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,458 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,458
frequency rank, English
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An official face-to-face meeting of monarchs or other important figures.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

interview vs interviewed
82% similar
interview vs interviewer
82% similar
interview vs interviewee
82% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for interview
PropertyValue
Headwordinterview
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪn.tə.vjuː/
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,458
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “interview” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). interview lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for interview is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪn.tə.vjuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,458 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for interview, with forms such as "inetrview", "innterview", and "interivew". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "interviewed", "interviewer", "interviewee", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French entreveue (French entrevue), feminine singular past participle of entrevëoir, from entre- + vëoir (“to see”). Equivalent to inter- + view. The correct English form is interview, spelled I-N-T-E-R-V-I-E-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    An official face-to-face meeting of monarchs or other important figures.
  2. 2
    Any face-to-face meeting, especially of an official or adversarial nature.
  3. 3
    A conversation in person (or, by extension, over the telephone, Internet etc.) between a journalist and someone whose opinion or statements he or she wishes to record for publication, broadcast etc.
  4. 4
    A formal meeting, in person, for the assessment of a candidate or applicant.
  5. 5
    An audition.
  6. 6
    A police interrogation of a suspect or party in an investigation.

Etymology

From Old French entreveue (French entrevue), feminine singular past participle of entrevëoir, from entre- + vëoir (“to see”). Equivalent to inter- + view.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: inetrview,innterview,interivew,interrview,interveiw,intervieww,interviwe,intervview,intevriew,intreview,intterview,itnerview,niterview

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of interview - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

inetrview2innterview1interivew2interrview1interveiw2intervieww1interviwe2intervview1
Edit distance from "interview"

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 "interview"?
"interview" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-V-I-E-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.tə.vjuː/.
What does "interview" mean?
As a noun, "interview" means: An official face-to-face meeting of monarchs or other important figures.
What words are commonly confused with "interview"?
"interview" is commonly confused with "interviewed", "interviewer", "interviewee". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "interview"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "interview" is /ˈɪn.tə.vjuː/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "interview"?
From Old French entreveue (French entrevue), feminine singular past participle of entrevëoir, from entre- + vëoir (“to see”). Equivalent to inter- + view. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “interview”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-E-R-V-I-E-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪn.tə.vjuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “interviewed” - see the side-by-side comparison. interview vs interviewed
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list