intolerant
/ɪnˈtɑləɹənt/
"intolerant" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“intolerant” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,970 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #20,970
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unable or indisposed to tolerate, endure or bear.
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 | intolerant |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ɪnˈtɑləɹənt/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #20,970 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “intolerant” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for intolerant is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈtɑləɹənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,970 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for intolerant, with forms such as "inntolerant", "inotlerant", and "intloerant". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "intolerance", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the first half of the 18th century; either borrowed from French intolérant (early 17th century) or from its source, Latin intolerāns. By surface analysis, in- + tolerant (itself only attested from the 1780s). The correct English form is intolerant, spelled I-N-T-O-L-E-R-A-N-T.
Definition
- 1Unable or indisposed to tolerate, endure or bear.
- 2Unable to digest food or be given substances of a certain composition without adverse effects.
- 3Not tolerant; close-minded about new or different ideas; indisposed to tolerate contrary opinions or beliefs; impatient of dissent or opposition; denying or refusing the right of private opinion or choice in others; inclined to persecute or suppress dissent.
Etymology
First attested in the first half of the 18th century; either borrowed from French intolérant (early 17th century) or from its source, Latin intolerāns. By surface analysis, in- + tolerant (itself only attested from the 1780s).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: inntolerant,inotlerant,intloerant,intoelrant,intolearnt,intolerannt,intolerantt,intoleratn,intolernat,intolerrant,intollerant,intolreant,inttolerant,itnolerant,nitolerant
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of intolerant - 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.
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 "intolerant"?
What does "intolerant" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "intolerant"?
How do you pronounce "intolerant"?
What is the origin of the word "intolerant"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “intolerant”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-O-L-E-R-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈtɑləɹənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “intolerance” - see the side-by-side comparison. intolerant vs intolerance
- 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.