intractable
/ɪnˈtɹæk.tə.bəl/
"intractable" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“intractable” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,689 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #33,689
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not tractable; not able to be managed, controlled, governed or directed.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | intractable |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ɪnˈtɹæk.tə.bəl/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #33,689 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “intractable” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for intractable is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈtɹæk.tə.bəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,689 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for intractable, with forms such as "inntractable", "inrtactable", and "intarctable". 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. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From in- + tractable. The correct English form is intractable, spelled I-N-T-R-A-C-T-A-B-L-E.
Definition
- 1Not tractable; not able to be managed, controlled, governed or directed.
- 2Not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve.
- 3Difficult to deal with, solve, or manage. (of a problem)
- 4Stubborn; obstinate. (of a person)
- 5Difficult to treat (of a medical condition).
Etymology
From in- + tractable.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: inntractable,inrtactable,intarctable,intracatble,intracctable,intractabble,intractabel,intractablle,intractalbe,intractbale,intractible,intracttable,intratcable,intrcatable,intrractable,inttractable,itnractable,nitractable
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of intractable - 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
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Using “intractable”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-R-A-C-T-A-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈtɹæk.tə.bəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.