intermediate vs step in

intermediate

verb
  • To mediate, to be an intermediate. 

  • To arrange, in the manner of a broker. 

adj
  • Being between two extremes, or in the middle of a range. 

noun
  • Any substance formed as part of a series of chemical reactions that is not the end-product. 

  • An intermediary. 

  • Anything in an intermediate position. 

step in

verb
  • To get involved; to act 

  • To act as a replacement or substitute. 

How often have the words intermediate and step in occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )