intrusive

/ɪnˈtɹuːsɪv/

//ɪnˈtɹuːsɪv// adj

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

"intrusive" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“intrusive” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,861. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,861
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tending to intrude; doing that which is not welcome; interrupting or disturbing; entering without permission or welcome.

Corpus desk

Index EN-intrusive · intrusive · English

intrusive · rank #18,861 · 13 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,861
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH intervening

Nearest frequency peer: intervening (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “intrusive”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “intrusive” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

intrusive vs intensive
78% similar
intrusive vs inclusive
78% similar
intrusive vs intrusion
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for intrusive
PropertyValue
Headwordintrusive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈtɹuːsɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#18,861
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “intrusive” sits in English frequency

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).intrusivelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “intervening” (#18,860), “inhabit” (#18,859), “invoke” (#18,863). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around intrusive (IPA /ɪnˈtɹuːsɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #18,861 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for intrusive, with forms such as "inntrusive", "inrtusive", and "intrrusive". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "intensive", "inclusive", "intrusion", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation from intrusion, + -ive. The correct English form is intrusive, spelled I-N-T-R-U-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tending to intrude; doing that which is not welcome; interrupting or disturbing; entering without permission or welcome.
  2. 2
    Of rocks: forced, while in a plastic or molten state, into the cavities or between the cracks or layers of other rocks.
  3. 3
    epenthetic
  4. 4
    Designating a type of collection in which each item keeps track of what collection it is in, rather than the more conventional approach of a collection keeping track of what items it contains. An intrusive collection does not "own" its contents and a single item can be part of multiple intrusive collections.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Did it ever cross your mind that he might find all those questions you ask intrusive?
  2. an intrusive linked list

Etymology

Back-formation from intrusion, + -ive.

Synonyms

unwelcomeuninviteddisturbinginterrupting

Antonyms

unintrusive

This word in other languages

intruso(Español)intrusif(Français)aufdringlich(Deutsch)intrusivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inntrusive
  • inrtusive
  • intrrusive
  • intrsuive
  • intruisve
  • intrusiev
  • intrusivve
  • intrussive
  • intrusvie
  • inttrusive
  • intursive
  • itnrusive
  • nitrusive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of intrusive - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

inntrusive1inrtusive2intrrusive1intrsuive2intruisve2intrusiev2intrusivve1intrussive1
Edit distance from "intrusive"

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 "intrusive"?
"intrusive" is spelled I-N-T-R-U-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈtɹuːsɪv/.
What does "intrusive" mean?
As an adjective, "intrusive" means: Tending to intrude; doing that which is not welcome; interrupting or disturbing; entering without permission or welcome.
What words are commonly confused with "intrusive"?
"intrusive" is commonly confused with "intensive", "inclusive", "intrusion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "intrusive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intrusive" is /ɪnˈtɹuːsɪv/. 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 "intrusive"?
Back-formation from intrusion, + -ive. 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 "intrusive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

informant#18,858Josephine#18,868heartless#18,850lunchtime#18,877

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

microbial13 variantsFlanders13 variantsNetanyahu13 variantsplayback13 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "intrusive". Here's where to go from here.

  • "intrusive" maps to 3 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "intensive". View pair
  • 13 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #18,861 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "I" letter cohort. I–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list