intransigence

/ɪnˈtɹæn.sɪ.d͡ʒəns/

//ɪnˈtɹæn.sɪ.d͡ʒəns// noun

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

"intransigence" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“intransigence” is uncommon English (frequency #63,002 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,002
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unwillingness to change one's views or to agree.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intransigence · intransigence · English

intransigence · rank #63,002 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,002
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH interrogative

Nearest frequency peer: interrogative (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “intransigence”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “intransigence” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for intransigence
PropertyValue
Headwordintransigence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈtɹæn.sɪ.d͡ʒəns/
Letters13
Frequency rank#63,002
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “intransigence” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).intransigencefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “interrogative” (#63,001), “interdict” (#62,999), “Islip” (#63,005). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “intransigence” is #63,002. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

intransigence is uncommon English at frequency #63,002 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪnˈtɹæn.sɪ.d͡ʒəns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Unwillingness to change one's views or to agree.".

No misspelling variants are generated for intransigence in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French intransigeance, noun form of intransigeant, borrowed from Spanish intransigente at the end of the nineteenth century. Morphologically, from in- + transiger + -ant, literally "uncompromising". The correct English form is intransigence, spelled I-N-T-R-A-N-S-I-G-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unwillingness to change one's views or to agree.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how intransigence appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The intransigence of both sides frustrated the negotiators.
  2. Meanwhile, we have encouraged and supported efforts to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan which would lead to a withdrawal of Soviet forces from that country and meet the interests of all concerned. It is Soviet intransigence that has kept those efforts from bearing fruit.

Etymology

From French intransigeance, noun form of intransigeant, borrowed from Spanish intransigente at the end of the nineteenth century. Morphologically, from in- + transiger + -ant, literally "uncompromising".

This word in other languages

intransigencia(Español)intransigeance(Français)Intransigenz(Deutsch)

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 "intransigence"?
"intransigence" is spelled I-N-T-R-A-N-S-I-G-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈtɹæn.sɪ.d͡ʒəns/.
What does "intransigence" mean?
As a noun, "intransigence" means: Unwillingness to change one's views or to agree.
How do you pronounce "intransigence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intransigence" is /ɪnˈtɹæn.sɪ.d͡ʒəns/. 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 "intransigence"?
From French intransigeance, noun form of intransigeant, borrowed from Spanish intransigente at the end of the nineteenth century. Morphologically, from in- + transiger + -ant, literally "uncompromising". 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "intransigence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

interrogative#63,001impermissible#62,991educationally#62,859devastatingly#62,837

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list