intimate

/ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/

//ˈɪn.tɪ.mət// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"intimate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“intimate” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,487 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#6,487
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Closely acquainted; familiar.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

intimate vs intricate
78% similar
intimate vs intimidate
80% similar
intimate vs intimately
80% similar

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

Key facts for intimate
PropertyValue
Headwordintimate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,487
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “intimate” 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). intimate 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 intimate is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,487 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for intimate, with forms such as "initmate", "inntimate", and "intiamte". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "intricate", "intimidate", "intimately", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin intimātus, the perfect passive participle of intimō (“to put or bring into, to impress, to make familiar”) (see -ate (adjective forming suffix)), from intimus (“inmost, innermost, most intimate”), superlative of intus (“within”), from in… The correct English form is intimate, spelled I-N-T-I-M-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Closely acquainted; familiar.
  2. 2
    Of or involved in a sexual relationship.
  3. 3
    Personal; private.
  4. 4
    Pertaining to details that require great familiarity to know
  5. 5
    Very finely mixed.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin intimātus, the perfect passive participle of intimō (“to put or bring into, to impress, to make familiar”) (see -ate (adjective forming suffix)), from intimus (“inmost, innermost, most intimate”), superlative of intus (“within”), from in (“in”); see interior.

This word in other languages

íntimo(Español)intime(Français)vertraut(Deutsch)íntimo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: initmate,inntimate,intiamte,intimaet,intimatte,intimmate,intimtae,intmiate,inttimate,itnimate,nitimate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of intimate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

initmate2inntimate1intiamte2intimaet2intimatte1intimmate1intimtae2intmiate2
Edit distance from "intimate"

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 "intimate"?
"intimate" is spelled I-N-T-I-M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/.
What does "intimate" mean?
As an adjective, "intimate" means: Closely acquainted; familiar.
What words are commonly confused with "intimate"?
"intimate" is commonly confused with "intricate", "intimidate", "intimately". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intimate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intimate" is /ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/. 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 "intimate"?
Borrowed from Latin intimātus, the perfect passive participle of intimō (“to put or bring into, to impress, to make familiar”) (see -ate (adjective forming suffix)), from intimus (“inmost, innermost, most intimate”), superlative of intus (“within”... 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 “intimate”

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

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