Intend is the verb: to have something in mind to do. Intent is the noun — the purpose behind an act — and an adjective meaning fixed on something. I intend to go; the intent was clear; intent on winning. In everyday speech the noun is usually intention; intent is the formal and legal word.
The core difference
- intend — a verb: to plan or mean to. She intends to apply, I didn't intend any offence.
- intent — a noun: purpose, especially in law. Criminal intent, with intent to supply, the intent of the rule. Also an adjective: intent on finishing, an intent stare.
The tell
If there is a to after it, the word is intend: intend to leave. If there is an on after it, the word is intent: intent on leaving. And intention is the everyday noun — my intention is to retire early — while intent sounds like a statute: letter of intent, malicious intent. Saying I have no intent to is not wrong, just formal.
In use
- intent — The court found no criminal intent. She was intent on finishing before dark.
- intend — We intend to open in March. I never intended to hurt anyone.
Common slips
- I intent to apply → I intend to apply
- he was intend on winning → he was intent on winning
A to after it wants intend; an on after it wants intent.
Where the words come from
Both come from Latin intendere, "to stretch towards, to direct the mind". Intend kept the verb; intent came through Old French entent as the thing the mind is stretched towards. The phrase to all intents and purposes preserves the older plural noun.
Frequently asked questions
Is it "intent to" or "intend to"?
Intend to, when it is a verb: I intend to leave. Intent to appears only in fixed legal phrases such as "with intent to defraud".
What does intent on mean?
Determined to, absorbed in: intent on finishing the job. That is the adjective, and it always takes on.
Is it "to all intents and purposes" or "intensive purposes"?
To all intents and purposes. "Intensive purposes" is a mishearing.