intone
/ɪnˈtoʊn/
"intone" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“intone” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To give tone or variety of tone to; to vocalize.
Corpus desk
Index EN-intone · intone · English
intone · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "I" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | intone |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪnˈtoʊn/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “intone” in English
Rare enough to double-check
intone is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪnˈtoʊn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
intone has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English entune, entone, from Old French entoner, from Medieval Latin intonō, from in- (inchoative prefix) + tonus (“pitch, tone”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); doublet of intonate. Cognate with French entonner, Italian intonare. The correct English form is intone, spelled I-N-T-O-N-E.
Definition
- 1To give tone or variety of tone to; to vocalize.
- 2To utter with a musical or prolonged note or tone; to speak or recite with singing voice; to chant.
- 3To utter a tone; utter a protracted sound.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how intone appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
to intone the church service
But when the moon rose and the breeze awakened, and the sedges stirred, and the cat’s-paws raced across the moonlit ponds, and the far surf off Wonder Head intoned the hymn of the four winds, the trinity, earth and sky and water, became one thunderous symphony—a harmony of sound and colour silvered to a monochrome by the moon.
Etymology
From Middle English entune, entone, from Old French entoner, from Medieval Latin intonō, from in- (inchoative prefix) + tonus (“pitch, tone”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); doublet of intonate. Cognate with French entonner, Italian intonare.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.