intricate
/ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kət/adjective, verb
intricate is spelled I-N-T-R-I-C-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, intricate means “Having a great deal of fine detail or complexity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in intricate?
| Letters | 9: I-N-T-R-I-C-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 13,897th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is intricate?
Intricate appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce intricate?
- /ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kət/
As a verb (“To become enmeshed or entangled”): /ˈɪn.tɹɪ.keɪt/.
Intricate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-intricate.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-intricate.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-intricate2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of intricate
- more intricate comparative
- most intricate superlative
- intricates present, singular, he/she/it
- intricating participle, present
- intricated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does intricate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a great deal of fine detail or complexity.
The architecture of this clock is very intricate.
- 2
archaicDifficult to disentangle, puzzle apart, or resolve; enigmatic, obscure.
verb
- 1
To become enmeshed or entangled.
[…] washes off easily, without sticking or intricating into the wound.
- 2
To enmesh or entangle: to cause to intricate.
But the British and French won't hear of that; they want to get their troops extricated and our ground troops intricated.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Intricate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having a great deal of fine detail or complexity:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | intriqué, compliqué, tortueux |
| German | aufwendig, kompliziert, ausgeklügelt, raffiniert, kunstvoll, knifflig |
| Portuguese | intrincado |
| Spanish | intrincado, intricado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does intricate come from?
From Middle English intricat(e) (“entangled, intricate”), from Latin intrīcātus, perfect passive participle of intricō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).