Inference

How to spell inference

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce inference

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does inference mean?

1. nounA conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning rather than from direct statement.

Inference in a sentence

• The detective based her inference on the muddy footprints near the door.

• The report drew a reasonable inference from the sales figures of the past year.

Where does inference come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin verb inferre, which literally meant 'to carry in' or 'to bring into', built from the prefix in- ('in, into') and ferre ('to carry or bring'). In Latin the verb came to mean 'to bring forward in reasoning', that is, to deduce one thing from another, and from it grew the medieval Latin noun inferentia. English adopted 'inference' in the early 1500s to name the mental act of reaching a conclusion from evidence rather than from direct observation. The same ferre root carries through a whole family of English words such as 'transfer' (carry across), 'refer' (carry back), and 'confer' (bring together), which is a useful clue to the spelling: the middle is fer, not fur. The tricky part for writers is the unstressed second syllable, where the 'fer' sound can blur, so anchoring it to the visible fer of 'transfer' keeps the spelling steady.

How the word is built

• in- (in, into)
• fer (from Latin ferre: to carry, bring)
• -ence (noun-forming suffix)