SIGINT

/ˈsɪɡ.ɪnt/

//ˈsɪɡ.ɪnt// noun

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

"sigint" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“SIGINT” is uncommon English (frequency #72,763 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,763
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Abbreviation of signals intelligence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sigint · SIGINT · English

SIGINT · rank #72,763 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,763
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shrift

Nearest frequency peer: shrift (-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 “SIGINT”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for SIGINT
PropertyValue
HeadwordSIGINT
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪɡ.ɪnt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#72,763
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “SIGINT” 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).SIGINTfalls 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: “shrift” (#72,762), “silversmith” (#72,764), “Shreve” (#72,761). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “SIGINT” is #72,763. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

SIGINT is uncommon English at frequency #72,763 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɪɡ.ɪnt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for SIGINT 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, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Blend of signal + intelligence. The correct English form is SIGINT, spelled S-I-G-I-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Abbreviation of signals intelligence.
  2. 2
    An Earth-orbiting satellite used to intercept signals.
  3. 3
    A signal sent to a process by its controlling terminal when a user wishes to interrupt the process.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. (a) Intelligence.—This includes SIGINT, ELINT and their Electronic countermeasures (ECM, ECCM, ECCCM and so on).

Etymology

Blend of signal + intelligence.

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 "SIGINT"?
"SIGINT" is spelled S-I-G-I-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪɡ.ɪnt/.
What does "SIGINT" mean?
As a noun, "SIGINT" means: Abbreviation of signals intelligence.
How do you pronounce "SIGINT"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "SIGINT" is /ˈsɪɡ.ɪnt/. 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 "SIGINT"?
Blend of signal + intelligence. 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 "SIGINT", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shrift#72,762Shreve#72,761Shayna#72,756Solvay#72,777

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list